La Coordination
by CaBu12
Summary: After a year of adjusting to dragons, future chef Hea has more than her set of problems when Berk takes on another new, yet familiar face, Dagur. Can Hiccup get these two to get along just long enough to make sure everyone comes out with their sanity? Or will Hea and Dagur end up getting a little too close? (OCS)
1. Act One

**!NOTE! As of June 15** **th** **2018,**

If this fan fiction seems as if it is missing something, that's because it is. I've separated the _'La Coordination'_ from _'Unnecessary Culture Shock'_. You can read the first half under the same name: _'Unnecessary Culture Shock'._ No worries, I just thought it might be less confusing for those who have no yet watched the series; because as the story progresses back into movie canon, _'La Coordination'_ will not be completely necessary to read in order to progress with _'Unnecessary Culture Shock'_. So, if you haven't watched the series or aren't interested, skip this if you so please.

AND

Before you decide to read ahead at the stories I have posted, a warning: I am a very self-indulgent, self-insert author. In fact, 99.9% of my fics include my self-insert and I'm proud of it. So, if you feel like you can endure it, please proceed!

But _please_ remember: this and every other story that I have written was produced out of pure boredom/fun/crack or just because I felt like it. Therefore, it is NOT perfect. I am _not_ a professional. I cannot guarantee that the grammar is spot on or that you'll enjoy it. But if you decide to stick around for the ride? I appreciate it. But I am, (repeat I _am_ ) an amateur writer.

I do hope however; I can entertain you for a couple of hours and maybe get a laugh or two outta ya? I really appreciate all the support you all have given me over the years and I'll continue to try and update when I can.

So, thanks! Thanks a bundle!

ALSO

I do not own any part of the HTTYD series, only the characters: Hea, Rye and Bug.

Much Love.

* * *

" _Does a mullet make a man?"-_ Girl All the Bad Guys Want, Bowling for Soup.

* * *

La Coordination

Warmth. The feeling had become familiar, even on brisk mornings. How many nights had she spent in this house, in this room, in this bed, with _him_? Not nearly as many as she'd imagined or thought of bragging about; the only thing she knew for certain was that it needed to happen more often and for more extended periods of time! Just laying there, sharing body heat, snuggling was something far too amazing _not_ to think about or desire during their off time.

Did he feel the same way?

He'd better. After all, why else would he allow her to stay there, beside him?

Hea felt her eyes flutter open while the sounds her snoring dog made her lip curl. Ah, who could ask for anything more? The world came into focus like on any other morning, only this time around she had the rare benefit of sharing her bed with her favorite dragon trainer.

Apparently they'd been sleeping back to back, seeing as he was facing away from her. Hm, what to do now? This _was_ the most perfect position for a cuddle! Best be gentle though, no need to scare the poor guy awake. With a near silent hum, she leaned into the male, her hands placed in the front of her chest. With the lightest amount of pressure, the cook pressed her open palms against his back.

The sensation of the fabric from his clothes made her skin tingle. The moment she touched him, he inhaled. Did she catch him just in the act of waking up? Feeling no major twitch or jerk, Heather proceeded and pressed the side of her face against him. Ah, he was so warm! Why did he have to be so damn perfect? Even the way he smelled was something she could wear on her own clothes every day!

Hiccup shifted, which in turn made her smirk. So had he gotten used to her sleeping beside him? The first few nights they shared by the time morning rolled around, he'd look at her as if he'd seen a ghost. Then again, he'd probably never shared a bed with anyone let alone a female. An _older_ female. Hell, it took a few sessions to get him to warm up to the occasional snuggle! Ah well, it was all worth it anyway.

While he took his time coming to his senses, she allowed her eyes to wander the room. Glancing upward first, she saw the infamous Night Fury sleeping in the rafters. Hung upside down in traditional bat form, he slumbered away with a care in the world. Nice to know _someone_ didn't mind her sharing Hiccup. Because Thor above knew his father didn't.

Stoick had only caught her napping beside his son _once_ but once was enough. By the time she escaped the home, he'd used every curse word she knew! Thank heaven it was early enough in the morning to where no one else really heard any of it. Other than Gobber of course. Then again, he pretty much knew every bit of gossip in the neighborhood.

Ever since _that_ incident, making an effort to hide their sleepovers was always the better choice. But that didn't matter now! All that mattered at this point was that she was here, with him. Pushing all the unfavorable thoughts from her mind, she nuzzled the side of her face against his back and finally earned a sound from the trainer. The vibrations from his throat rippled through his smaller body and made her shiver. How could a person even make morning-groans a sexy thing?

Finally stirring enough to realize where he was and who he was beside, Hiccup lifted his left arm into the air. His fingers went straight to his dark brown locks, pushing them back momentarily as he gathered himself. Again he took in a deep breath, enough to make his chest expand. Soon after, he moved back in the slightest manner, until she was able to get a good look at his face. Eyes half lidded and hair in the cutest mess, his attention landed straight on her.

"Hey."

Aww!

"Morning." She tilted her head back to greet him with a smile. "Sleep okay?" She asked all the while her cheeks swelling.

"Yeah I guess." He took a second to clear his throat and turn further on his back.

' _I guess'?_

Hea removed her hands and face from his body and he moved, allowing for extra space. Now that he was going to be facing her more, did that mean cuddles? Her heart thumped in her chest as his back hit the mattress flat. His eyes fluttered open and closed, almost as if he was still fighting the urge to fall back to sleep.

Best act normal and cool as possible, like she wasn't expecting his affection! She moved her body several inches away from him as he groaned. Turning on her back in the same fashion he had, she stopped open to release a hum and move her arms out in front of her chest. Her fingers interlaced at her stomach and with a slow swing, she pushed her forearms outward. Her wrists spun around once her limbs had stretched out as far as they could go and she proceeded to crack her digits.

"You?"

The urge to crack a grin came to thought, but she resisted. "Not bad." She then brought her arms down back to her sides. "How are the beasties?"

Hiccup pulled his upper torso just a few inches, eyes no doubt scanning the room. "They're both still out." He replied, falling back into the mattress.

Hm, that was typical. Hea felt a round of warm air exhale via her nostrils. This position was way too comfortable to stay in for long, if she wasn't careful she'd travel back to slumberland before she had a chance for some sweet pillow talk. Best switch it up and start a conversation.

"So what's going on today?"

"Not sure," The rider answered after a moment of silence and turned to his left, finally taking the chance to face her. "You got anything you need to do?"

"Hm, I don't think so." Her hand shot upward without any thought and she pushed back the stray hairs in her face. "I have work tonight but that's about it."

"Fun times." He managed to release a small chuckle. "It's probably better if we don't plan anything ahead of time. I'm sure Snotlout or Astrid will think of something by the time we get up."

"True."

Finally removing her hand from her forehead, Hea stopped and turned her chin left. Her brown eyes landed on his green within seconds, making her smile without hesitation. Sure, she'd never had anyone as a sleeping partner before, other than Rye of course, but why did this partner in particular feel _different_? It could possibly be because her heart went into overdrive when he was around right?

Ah well, it didn't hurt that he was cute to boot as well.

But just as her eyes adjusted to the light shining off his features and hair, the male glanced away. Eyes darting to some strange spot in the room, he pulled his lips together and exhaled through his nose. What was that about? He wasn't feeling sick, was he?

"Hiccup are you okay?" She asked, just as he pulled his slender body off the bed, sitting upright.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

 _Are you sure?_

Silence.

His brows furrowed for a slight second, almost like he had to think of what to say next. He didn't _look_ sick, maybe he was just feeling off? Her lips parted her next question ready for asking when he stopped, allowed his features to relax and turned directly toward her.

"Don't worry."

Her mouth came together. Was that the truth or just one of little white lies he was so good at telling? She'd seen that face on him so many times before, especially a number of years ago when he wasn't exactly appreciated.

Back then she didn't have the courage to ask him any further or even seem the least bit concerned but things were different now. She knew him better, he knew her for the better, they could _talk_ about things now, right? He didn't have to hide how he was feeling anymore. Then again, old habits die hard. Maybe cloaking his emotions with a weak smile was just his coping method.

 _So do I push the issue or not?_

Her eyes narrowed, frown deepened and brows turned into the middle of her face but in the midst of it all, he continued to look at her. Smiling, gentle and _almost_ happy. Sure, he was a terrible liar but he wasn't trying to lie to her, it looked like he was trying to convince himself of something that obviously was not there. If he wanted to pretend whatever hurt him wasn't really hurting, who was she to investigate any further? It wasn't. He was a growing boy, he was becoming a man; he could figure things out without her poking into his business.

 _Right?  
_

"Okay." She relented, "But if you need to talk, I got two good ears."

His smile widened. "They do more than frame your face?"

"I'd hope so!" Hea felt her own grin return at full force. "I don't know what this village would do without me and my hearing! So many youngins would go without venting their problems and hearing my excellent advice."

"The twins would testify to that."

"Number one clients, I'd say." She shot a wink at him.

Instead of any kind of smartass remark, he once again turned his eyes away from her. All the while his adorable smirk began to fade away. There it was again. As much as the nagging urge to press him on the matter she resisted. How annoyed would _she_ be if someone kept digging at a potentially open wound? If he had a problem, maybe it was with his dad and they _both_ knew that the subject didn't go over well between them as a trio. Besides, anything personal that went on between and father and son was none of her business. None at all.

Time to change the subject. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Not sure," He kept his attention away from her. "But I'm guessing it's later than we think."

"You think?" Hea tilted her head.

"Yeah," Hiccup cleared his throat, this time turning his entire face away from her, leaving her to stare at the back of his head. "My dad should be coming in any minute now."

Wait… did that mean he wanted her to…

"Maybe you should get going."

Her heart sank to the very bottom of her chest.

"Oh." It almost came out more as an exhale than an actual word or sound. Hea pushed her torso off the fluffy mattress and sat upward. "Sure."

She moved her left arm over her waist, fingertips touching the ends of the quilt she lay beneath. With a single jerk of her clenched hand, she pulled back the blanket and exposed her legs. Clad in her sleepwear, she moved to the very end of the bed, opposite of her partner, and swung her feet off the bunk.

"Since he might be out when I leave the room, I'll take the balcony." She spoke to him through her back. "Okay?"

"That sounds fine."

Well, if that was a quick and crafty way to end a conversation, she wasn't sure what was! An all too familiar burn behind her eyes threatened to make her sniffle or wipe her eyes but instead, she forced her teeth together. Grinding her molars together, she stood from the bed and glanced to the floor.

"What about Bug?" She asked voice, low.

"I'll bring her around later, okay? If I leave the room before my dad comes in, he won't get a chance to spot her." He answered in the same depleted tone.

"Okay, I'll see you later then." Hea cleared her throat a single time before stepping away from the warmth of his bed.

"Sure."

The thought of screaming, 'fine I know when I'm not wanted' at the top of her lungs came to mind but left milliseconds later. What good would that do? Sure, it would make _her_ feel better for about five minutes but how would that make _him_ feel? Ah well, he'd never given her a reason to argue before, why hurt someone she cared for if he wasn't intending to be offensive? Of course, the minute he _did_ want to offend her or hurt her feelings she'd tell him off but until then, best to avoid any kind of conflict.

Besides, his sharp sarcasm and quick comebacks didn't help her fighting confidence either.

She approached the balcony before she could blink twice. As in normal routine, she parted the doors, stepped outside and as quietly as possible, she hopped over the wooden planks. With her bare feet hitting the frost covered grass, she released a small gasp before making a quick scrabble back to her own home.

As she made a dash for her back door, her chin lifted to the sky only to see the sun just peering over the horizon. Wait a second! It wasn't late at all! In fact, it seemed quite early, earlier than her usual departure time anyway! What the hell?! Was he just _trying_ to get rid of her or what?!

 _Wow, no talking out of this, he_ wanted _you gone_.

Well shit. Great, now what? To confess to Rye or anyone else or just play the ropes and see what happens? Ugh. This did _not_ need to be this complicated _this_ early in the morning.

 _Good fucking morning to you too._

Act End.


	2. Act Two

La Coordination

Act Two

The chatter of the Viking teens just outside made her smile, even if she had a _terrible_ morning. Sure, Hiccup was acting funny but hey, maybe he was just having an off morning? Besides, if he _wanted_ to hurt her feelings, there would plenty of things he _could_ have said, right? Everyone was entitled to a bad day, even him. Hell, compared to someone like Tuffnut or Snotlout who had bad days at least five days a week, this was nothing!

Just go on like everything was normal. Things hadn't changed, he was just feeling off.

Hea hummed to herself, trying her best to force the morning's 'incident' out of her mind as she put the finishing touches on large lunch she'd been preparing for the last two hours. One taste of her best chicken sandwich and all of her issues and troubles would disappear in an instant! Plus there was _always_ dessert to look forward to.

Placing the final wrapped sandwich in the large leather satchel, Hea flipped over the flap and hooked the golden lock shut. Before she threw the large bag over her shoulder and across her chest, she reached forward toward a ceramic jar a few inches away on the stone counter. Once in hand, she popped open the lid and pushed her hand inside. Her fingertips brushed against caramelized candies, picking a single rock from the pile.

 _Good thing I made a big batch._

The ginger sweets were always a nice thing to have on hand, especially when she had to go flying without much notice. And since someone had decided it would be a good idea to go fishing this morning, what better use for the natural medicine?

With her hand free from the jar, the baker placed the lid back where it belonged before tossing the small candy into her mouth. They would be taking off soon, right? Better have one now and get ready. And if she needed another one, her satchel always came in handy for storing extras.

Time to move on! Her ears continued to vibrate to the sound of the Vikings-to-be just outside her open door. Ah, it was so nice to have everyone up and ready for an adventure! Shit, it sure beat everyone being separated and hating on Hiccup. Ah well, those days were long gone now. Time to focus on today! A smile spread wide on her face, she pulled her picnic bag over her chest and made her way toward the front door.

Adjusting the satchel as she walked, she only winced when the sunlight from the morning hit her face. Sunshine with a chilly wind? Eh, not the perfect combination when the thought of being splashed with ocean water came into mind but hey, fishing was fishing. At least this was _dragon fishing_ , no sitting around for hours on hand for a single bite; this was about ten times faster and filled with twice the adrenaline!

After a moment of her eyes growing accustom to the light outside, Hea focused her attention on the group ahead of her. Her eyes landing on her sister first, she watched as Rye stood between Snotlout, Astrid, Fishlegs and their partners, seemingly lost in conversation. Meanwhile Hiccup tended to Toothless, probably checking his last minute checklist. Hm, everything seemed calm enough.

She continued to walk, even if her eyes were fixated elsewhere and only came to a stop when her eyes had nothing new to gawk at. After coming to a halt, her eyes were drawn to the ground, to the small canine sitting in the home's doorway. Ah Bug, she was going to miss her when they were out today! Too bad she couldn't come with; there was no way she'd sit still while riding on Toothless. Perhaps a small seatbelt was in order? Eh, it was something to consider.

But when the sound of sniffing just beside her head made her eardrum vibrate, she stilled. And when a round of hot air blown to the back of her neck _times two_ she felt her entire body freeze. Oh geez, that wasn't who she thought it was, was it? Gah, seeing as there was only _one_ two-headed dragon in the immediate area she only had one guess.

Her eyes shut just as the air being blown to her skin traveled downward, stopping at the satchel at her side. Ah, they smelled the food, huh? Figures. Didn't those twins feed their damn animal before bringing it here?! Why was it the moment she thought of the question her first assumed answer was 'no'? Again, figures.

Hea swallowed the large lump of saliva that had built up on her tongue, both due to the ginger candy and huge dragon lurking behind her, and reopened her eyes. Taking in one last breath of air through her nose, she turned to face the beast. Just as expected, the large two-headed reptile gazed back at her with a set of wide eyes. They chirped for a moment, tilting their heads and leaning in _closer_.

"No, no." In the slowest motion possible, her hands came up to chest level and she took a step backward. "Not so close. You're just fine where you are."

"Aw come on, Hea." Ruffnut's voice made her flinch. "How long has it been now, like a year? Get used to dragons already!"

Yeah because it was _so_ easy. "I'm getting by, okay? Thanks for the update by the way." She pouted, dropping her arms.

"Oooh," The male twin shook his hands. "Look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Her bottom lip poked out even further. Wonderful, now they were going to make cracks about something they had no idea went on. And of course, they were _right_ about it. It was almost like they were so stupid…they were smart. Then again they _could_ have been outside when she made that mad dash from Hiccup's house to her own.

"Yep, wrong side."

 _Wrong bed and house too._

"Anyway, what else is new?" She finished up by letting her features relax.

"Nothing since yesterday." Tuff snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.

 _Okay, that answers that!_

"What's in the bag?" Ruff's eyes grew, no doubt clearing everything just discussed out of her head. "Whatever it is, Belch and Barf want at it!"

For whatever strange or stupid reason, Hea felt a smile appear on her face. "Lunch. Since it's been awhile since breakfast, I thought there'd be some empty stomachs by the time the fishing was done."

Cocking a single dark brow, Tuffnut leaned into her. "So, what is it?"

"Chicken sandwiches." She replied, chest swelling with pride. "Fresh bread, juicy chicken and my secret ingredient. Not to mention the drinking water and dessert."

"Not a bad spread," Ruff smirked, "Should be good enough."

Her brother snickered seconds after the verbal punch. "It better be."

Ugh! It was always when she was just starting to feel good about herself that they always took turns jabbing at her _emotions_. Damn, what was up with that anyway? Treating her like she was the younger one of the group! Talk about little or _no_ respect at all!

"Well, if it isn't, you don't have to eat." Hea's brows darted downward. "Starve then, it's not my problem if I offer you food and you refuse!"

"Whoa," The blonde female released an almost _amused_ giggle-snort.

"Hey, I guess if it isn't good enough, Barf and Belch will always eat it." Tuffnut lifted his thumb and jerked it in his dragon's direction.

"GAH!" The baker's arms shot up. "Forget it! Geez, I'm trying to be nice but whatever, I give up."

"We're just kidding," Ruff turned away from the elder girl, crossing her arms and pouting. "Get a sense of humor."

"Not funny."

"Man, you're usually not so uptight about stuff like this. What's your problem?" Now sounding as if _she'd_ offended _them_ , Tuff shot a nasty look in her direction.

Hea allowed her eyes to dart away from the twins, "Yeah because when you say 'what's your problem' in that tone, I really want to answer." After a second or avoiding eye contact, she returned her focus to them at full force with an added glare and pointed index finger, "And I'm _not_ uptight!"

"Are to." They responded in unison.

"I am not!"

Instead of answering, the two siblings stood with a complete look of confidence washed over their features. Smug smirks, tilted brows and their weight shifted in her direction. What was _that_ stance supposed to mean, that they were proving themselves right just because of the way she was reacting?! Oh she was _not_ over-reacting.

Fine, if they wanted to pretend they were slick, she was going to be twice as smooth! So they were going to be silent and shoot her intimidating looks? Then she was going to fight back with the best adult-like attitude possible!

"Look," She responded after a deep breath or two. "I really don't need this today, okay?"

"Relax for once," Tuffnut rolled his blue eyes. "Just go with it, try to act like you know what you're doing, it'll look better."

"Yeah," His sister did not hesitate to pipe in, "Then you won't be such a stick in the mud."

"Stick in the-?!" She jerked. "UGH! Done."

With one quick spin on her right heel, Hea turned away from the offensive duo and marched off. With her head hunched between her shoulders she stomped away even as their continuing banter made her inner child want to rush back and have the last word. No, not today! She was way too tired for this shit, if she didn't have to deal with it, she wasn't gonna.

As their ear-piercing voices faded further and further from her ears, the baker focused her attention on the new scene playing out in front of her. Just within hearing distance, she watched as her older sister placed both of her delicate hands on Meatlug's face. Now more curious than anything, she watched as Rye's hands went from the top of the dragon's head to the chin.

"So she's going to be okay?" Fishlegs' high voice caught her attention.

"Yeah, for sure!" Rye turned to the larger male and shot him one of her nicest smiles. "She's just got a case of the hiccups, nothing to worry about."

"Oh, that's good."

"Yep," The four eyed doctor gave a shallow bob of her noggin. "I'm guessing she ate her breakfast really fast? 'Cause that'll do it. Just make sure when she eats lunch that she takes her time."

"I can do that." The blond nodded.

"Remind her to chew too," The eldest female in the area released a sweet laugh. "But if she does get the hiccups again, it's no big deal. Just make sure she's relaxed and they should go away on their own."

"Right."

"I know a bad case of the hiccups can be _really_ annoying." The long haired female paused and looked over her shoulder. "No offense."

"None taken." Hiccup said, passing by both Fishlegs and Rye.

Aw, seeing Rye being social never felt so good. She'd come a long way in the last few months! It was enough to make any family member proud but seeing as they were sisters _and_ best friends, it was twice as heartwarming! Maybe all that extra work with Gobber really was paying off, especially now she was taking Fishlegs under her 'veterinary' wing. It wouldn't be too long until they were both thee go to vets on Berk!

"Good morning Hea, you're looking pretty distracted-"

Before she could process who was speaking to her or what exactly they were saying, the short-haired female flinched, _hard_. A rather unappealing and loud yelp left her lips just as she jumped backward. With her heart nearly slamming out of her chest, she looked on to see a very confused Astrid standing behind her.

"Great Odin above!" She exhaled, throwing her hand over her thumping chest.

"As well as jumpy…and sweaty." Astrid finished, dropping the extended arm she'd probably moved outward to touch her shoulder.

"Fine!" Her voice cracked in the most awkward way possible. "I mean, fine. I'm fine." Hea corrected herself, after clearing her throat and calming her vocal cords.

"You sure?" The blonde beauty arched a brow.

"Yeah, yeah." The older female removed her hand from her chest and released a small sigh. "I'm good, it's just…"

"Just?" The Viking leaned inward.

Hea lifted her right hand to her forehead and pushed back the stray hairs that had come to the front of her face after her surprised jerk. "I don't know…" Her hand pushed the uneven strands until they came out from beneath her palm. "Never mind, I'm probably just tired."

"That's pretty easy to solve." Astrid shot a small smile in her direction. " _If_ that's the problem."

Hea's arm dropped back to her side. "No worries, it's fine."

"Sure."

The baker broke into a large smile, "Anyway!" Her pitched lifted as she changed the subject. "You're lookin' good. How are you doing?"

"Not bad," The fierce matriarch relaxed her posture and hooked her hand to her hip. "I'm really looking forward to some fishing. I think Stormfly needs the exercise; she's been excited all morning. It'll be good for her to work some of that energy off."

"True, true." Hea nodded. "Besides, you two need some quality time! Outside of training that is."

"Without a doubt."

For a brief moment, the taller female glanced away from her conversation partner and looked over her slender shoulder. Just beyond the two of them stood Snotlout and Rye. Hm, what in the _world_ could they be talking about? Rye tended to stay away from the small male due to the fact that he gave her his _full_ attention; _too much_ attention for the four-eyed doctor. So the recent social improvement had gone _that_ far, had it?

 _Good. You go girl._

"So how are _you_?" Astrid's sweet voice caught her interest once again.

"Pretty good," She responded, her brown eyes locking with the blonde's ocean blues. "I had a lot of fun this morning making lunch." Hea reached down, giving her satchel a firm pat. "I swear, I don't get to cook or bake enough around here! I just have so much fun doing it, it's almost like I get lost in it. Nothing beats feeding people you care about when your own homemade meal!"

"Sounds fun," The young girl's smile spread almost ear to ear.

"I just wish I could do it more often," The future cook felt her back slouch almost as if she were deflating in front of the Viking female. "I think everything would be pretty much perfect if I could cook for a living around here."

Astrid bent down just a bit, her eyes once again making contact. "I'm sure you'll get your dream job someday. Hopefully sooner than later, I know it means a lot to you."

"Yeah, I hope so. I'm ready to begin _tomorrow_ , you know?"

"Hey," The blonde tilted her head to her right in the slightest manner. "It could. Stranger things _have_ happened."

"Yep."

"HEY!" The sound of Tuffnut shouting a few feet away made Hea shudder. "Let's GO! I'm tired of waiting!"

"That's our cue," Astrid took a few steps forward, only pausing to bump her elbow against her upper arm. "See you around."

"'Kay." She shot her a smile as she left the scene.

That could only mean it was time to take off! Hea straightened her back before proceeding forward. Not more than five feet away, Hiccup and Tooth stood side by side. The boy continued to tinker away with the black saddle on the Night Fury's back but once she was within a reasonable distance, he tore his attention away from his partner and focused on her.

Okay, it was time to act like nothing happened earlier! Time to go at this conversation like a pro. Pretend her feelings weren't hurt, like her damn heart wasn't torn in _two_. She had to let it go, hell, _he_ probably wasn't even thinking too much about it! Just at natural-like and everything would be right as rain!

"Hey, you ready?" She started off with her friendliest smile. "I'm all set!"

"Uh…" He almost _grimaced_ as he stood upright.

 _Keep acting, keep it up, Hea!_

"I packed lunch and everything." She continued, giving her leather bag a rather cruel and unnecessary slap. "And it sounds like everyone else is ready, wanna get going?"

"Yeah," Hiccup's brilliant green eyes darted away from her own while his right hand darted to the back of his neck. "About that."

 _About what?_

"I was thinking," He paused momentarily to clear his throat. "That we have enough people today to do the fishing, everyone actually. So, why don't you stay back and relax?"

 _What?_ _No. Not_ again.

At this point Toothless had brushed against the side of his owner's leg, moving his head beneath the trainer's left hand. "I know you have to work tonight and you've been pretty stressed all morning so…"

He was talking clearly; speaking fluent English so why was it so hard to digest what he was actually saying? As his explanation continued, his excuses seemed lamer, longer and sillier. What the hell? Since when did he care about her work schedule or how it affected her?! How many nights had they spent up together talking about _nothing_? Even when she wasn't working or when her work had ended!

This wasn't about how many people where going on the fishing trip or how much rest she needed, he didn't _want_ her around. _Again_. If he didn't want to be around her all he needed to do was _man up_ , _be a real Viking_ and tell her off! Just like everyone/anyone else would! He didn't need to be considerate when it came to rejection, especially if she was going to be dragged along in the process! If he wasn't going to act like a man, then she was gonna do it for him.

No more.

He continued on, even as his voice sounded like a bunch slurred blurs in her ears. And as he went on, she pulled the bag strap up from around her shoulders. She gripped the main pouch in both hands and held it to her chest.

"Fine."

With one solid shove, she pushed the satchel into his tiny arms. He released a near silent grunt as the bag came into contact with his chest. Nevertheless, his hands took hold of the container, leaving Hea to pull back her arms to her sides.

"Have fun."

Before he could speak, move or even blink, she whirled around and stormed away from the dragon trainer and his reptile.

"Hea, wait!"

She heard the voice she'd fallen so in love with call out her name but she refused to turn.

"Come on! I'm _not_ waiting anymore!" Even Tuffnut's voice was not enough for her to even bring her head up from behind her bangs. Besides, if he was already announcing _he_ was leaving there was little doubt that Hiccup wouldn't be far behind.

Whether she was with him or not.

She continued the thunder past the other Vikings, not taking notice to whether they were looking/watching her as she barreled through. What did it matter now? It wasn't like she could just get up and go with someone else, on another rider's dragon. How long had it taken to just get used to Toothless? The thought of hopping up on Stormfly or heaven forbid that _Nightmare_ was awful! At least she'd build enough of a trust level with Hiccup so that if she thought she was gonna toss her cookies, she could tap him on the shoulder and ask to get down. But with anyone else? Ugh, it just wasn't there. Yet anyway.

Hea found herself within the walls of her own home before she could blink twice. Rushing through the main room and kitchen, the moment she entered her bedroom she flopped down onto her bed. Seeing her quilt just at her fingertips, she ripped the blanket up and over her head before pouting.

Ugh, there was _no way_ she was going to cry now! Not over a boy! Sure, she cared a lot about this one in particular but no man was worth crying over, right?

 _If that's true, why does it hurt so much?_

Shit, why the fuck did rejected have to hurt this much?! Was it the fact that he told her 'no' or the actual rejection that hurt the most? Ugh, hell if she knew for sure. All she really knew was that the pain was real, it was there and it _stung_.

"What happened?" Rye's voice echoed through the bedroom. "What did he do?"

"Great, you saw that?" She muttered from beneath the covers.

"Uh yeah." The elder's sister's voice became louder, as if she'd moved closer to her bedside. "Did he say something to you?"

"Long story." Hea grunted. "Well, it's not really a _long story_ but…you know what I mean."

"And?"

"Aren't you going with them?"

"No," The sound of Rye's bed creaking let the cook assume the vet had taken a seat. "Snotlout invited me but when I saw you take off I turned him down. I'm worried about _you_. What happened?"

Groaning and throwing the quilt from off her head, the littler sibling lifted her chin and stared into her sis's eyes. "You know how we've been having sleep overs, right?"

"You mean your _spooning sessions_?" Rye smirked.

"Sure," Her eyes rolled, "Well, he kinda asked me to leave early this morning. Made up some fake story on how it was later than we thought and his dad might come in."

"Ohh."

"I thought that maybe he was in a bad mood or sick or maybe just wanted more sleep but then he rejected me again!" Her face dropped into the mattress.

"What? Just now?"

"Yes!" Her muffled voice hit the air and her hands clenched the sheets.

"What the heck? Why would he do that?" The bed across from her creaked.

Hea jerked her head up from the bed and shot a glare at her sister. "I have no idea! When I was said I was ready, he told me that I should stay home and rest!"

Rye's brow lifted as she shifted back in her seat. "Well, you do have work tonight, right? He probably just wants you to relax. Why would he go out of his way to reject you? Maybe he's just having an off day."

"I don't care!" The cook threw her hands to the top of her head. "Fool me once!"

"Hea."

"You know I don't deal well with stuff like this!" She groaned, digging her nails into her scalp. "I can't stand being rejected! If he doesn't want me around, fine!"

"This is _Hiccup_ we're talking about here," Rye's voice softened. "He's the one guy in the entire world who wouldn't try to hurt anyone on purpose. Let him have a bad day, he'll make it up to you. I think you're being a bit sensitive, Hea."

"Psh," The girl's eyes darted away from her kin. "You act like I'm going to completely ignore him from now on. We're still friends, even if he's being a jerk. But that's _it_."

"Hmmm, I think you're giving up way too easily."

"What's to give up, we aren't 'together'." Her nasty look returned to the older woman.

"No, but he's your first love right?" Rye shrugged her shoulders. "And being that he is, you're going to be sensitive when he says things to you. You'll get used to it, you two aren't going to get along one-hundred percent of the time. Even if you _are_ just friends."

"I guess." Her chin sunk deeper down into the mattress.

"Don't give up just yet, okay?"

" _Fine_."

 _But that doesn't mean it stings any less._

Act End.


	3. Act Three

La Coordination

Act Three

Was it the hour long fishing trip that exhausted him or was it the emotion stress from the last few days? Either way, being tired wasn't helping anything. Things and situations needed to be dealt with, no matter how spent he was.

Hiccup released a sigh as he moved through the village, departing from Mead Hall and now headed in the direction of his home. He was sure that fishing would have taken more of his mental attention or have been more of a distraction but if anything the events leading up to the trip made things _worse_. Was he wrong, right or somewhere in between? Argh, what was the use of thinking about it now? It happened, it was over and the world hadn't stop spinning.

But… somewhere along the line, feelings had been hurt. And not just _hers_.

Sure, he'd been feeling off for a number of weeks but how could she know? He hadn't told _anyone_ and as far as he was aware of, no one was on to him. He couldn't really expect her or anyone else to know how he was feeling but in that moment, when she shoved her leather satchel into his chest, it hurt.

" _Fine."_

The look of disgust on her face, the tone of her voice and the force she used to _push him away_ …

" _Have fun."_

Hea was sarcastic, maybe not as much as her older sister or even him, but she was known for a few famous icy jabs in the past. And this was definitely qualified. But again, he _was_ being distant without giving her any real reason. And she _was_ the kind of person that if hurt, her next move is to hurt her offender _twice_ over.

 _She's more Viking than she'd like to admit._

The sound of a familiar grunt caught the rider off guard. He glanced to his right to see his partner following beside him with a large set of yellow eyes. Was he worried too? Well he was _there_ when the incident happened; maybe he was feeling some of the damage as well?

"Everything's okay." He spoke to Toothless, with a weak smile. "Try not to worry so much, bud."

The Night Fury pouted. Ah, the signal that he wasn't willing to agree.

 _That makes two of us…I guess._

Hiccup removed his focus from the dragon at his side and relocated his vision to the ground. As his eyes wandered, the leather belt across his chest caught his attention. Ah the satchel. He lifted his left hand to the line of hide and ran his fingernails across the uneven surface. Man, he messed up.

She had made _eight_ sandwiches, packed _eight_ cups and stored enough sweets to feed an army. That meant she had been planning on coming along. She and Rye. She had prepared to get on Toothless, a _dragon_ , and fly, _high_ in the air. Her two worst fears and she'd come ready only to have him turned her down. How was that supposed to make her feel? But in the same breath, didn't _his_ feelings account for anything? He was entitled to feel too, right?

Of course there _was_ the whole _'ignore your own feelings and do something you don't agree with/don't like just because you're Hiccup'_ complex he was still dealing with but things were different now. He had to take care of himself as well as the other people he cared about. If he couldn't care for his own emotions first how was he going to help anyone else?

It was the touching, cuddling, sleep overs, constant flirting and even kissing he was having an issue with. He had gone his whole life with nearly zero human contact and then within the span of two years, it was almost like he couldn't get a moment to think about what was happening or how to feel about it. Of course Gobber would like to call it something along the lines of 'fearing to commit' but it couldn't be that simple!

It also didn't help that she had _admitted_ she loved him.

How was he supposed to handle it? Was it something that was supposed to come naturally because if that was the case, he shouldn't be feeling or even thinking about this! How many years did he have to endure being useless, stupid, small, weak and strange; then to all of a sudden to be given affection, love, gratitude, warmth, attention and acceptance by not just Hea but _everyone_. It was too much…at times.

He just needed a break, sometime to himself...to think things out.

And while being welcomed into the Viking community was better than one second of being denied, it all seemed to happen so fast. He just needed to adjust and that was going to take time. Making friends was almost second nature at this point but anything beyond that needed to be learned and adjusted to.

 _Ugh, maybe I should have talked to her about this earlier._

Before he knew it, his hand and fingers were wrapped around the doorknob of his home. With is mind still elsewhere, he twisted the handle and popped open the front door. The second the wood left the frame the sound of three voices hit his ears. Visitors? What was this about?

 _Only one way to find out._

Pulling the door open further, Hiccup focused on the three large men standing in the main room of his cottage. His father stood out first and for most but Gobber and Spitelout followed soon after. What was this about? Sure seeing Gobber in his home wasn't unusual but his uncle? Huh, something had to up.

"Hey," Hiccup cleared his throat, gathering the older men's attention. "Am I interrupting something?"

"You might be." Stoick look at him, face firm. Oh no,he was using _that_ tone. Great.

"I can leave." The teen replied, taking a single step backward. "I know how you enjoy your privacy."

"Fine, go-"

"You might as well tell the boy, Stoick." Gobber spoke at the left. "Everyone's gonna find out anyway." Both father and uncle sighed as the blond continued, "Telling him now is springing it on him as it is."

"Oh boy, do I even _want_ to know?" Hiccup slumped forward.

"Alright, alright." The village chief shook his head before extending his arm forward and beckoned his son inside the home. "Get in here and close the door."

Eh, he could turn tail and run now while he had the chance but what good would that do? Whatever it was, apparently it was going to happen whether he wanted to know about it or not. Might as well get it over with and find out. At least that way it could simmer in his mind one day longer than it would if he took off for the night.

Sighing, he looked to Toothless and nudged his chin forward. Following the order without hesitation, the Night Fury stepped into the house and took a seat beside Gobber. Ah, that was his cue. Resisting another sigh, he moved inside and made sure the door behind him shut completely.

"Go on."

"It seems we're going to have some familiar company soon." Stoick looked at him, almost if what he was about to say next was going to hurt. "We got a message from the Berserker Tribe."

"What?" He asked before his mind could process anything. "From Da-"

"It seems so!" Gobber moved his arms across his chest best he could.

"Well what do they want?" Hiccup moved forward several inches, heart now sinking to the bottom of his stomach.

Stoick's eyes moved away from him. "A compromise."

Alright, that wouldn't be too bad, would it? Assuming that the compromise was something reasonable. Then again this was _Dagur the Deranged_ they were talking about! It wasn't like they were dealing with Oswald, there had to be a catch somewhere.

"What kind?"

"He's saying that he needs a domestic worker for the tribe." Spitelout answered before anyone else could chime in. "In return he _says_ he's willing to work out a new peace treaty, one that will include staying away from our dragons."

What? "Wait," Hiccup's arms shot outward. "He's _agreeing_ to leave the dragons on Berk alone? He'll sign a treaty for it?"

"In exchange for a worker." Stoick's deep voice forced the young teen's stomach to cramp again.

Although his first initial thought and reply was, 'of course, let's ship out someone right away' but something didn't _feel_ right about this. This was a trap for sure, and the fact that his father, uncle and Gobber were already worried and discussing it only proved his point.

"How do we know that he's going to keep up his end of the bargain? Just because he signs a piece of paper doesn't mean he'll keep his end of the treaty." Geez, even _saying_ it out loud sounded fishy.

"That's the problem." His father exhaled through his nose.

"This is obviously a trap!" Spitelout complained from the right side of the room. "We have to do something about this, before he makes _his_ move!"

"He's already making his move," Stoick shot a glare at his kin. "In his message he made it clear his boat was already coming our way. He wants to discuss the new treaty _in person_."

"So why are we just standing around?!" The smallest of the trio took a step forward. "We need to rally our troops and wait at the dock. Then when he and his armada arrive, we'll have the advantage!"

"Why would he propose a treaty _before_ the raid?" Gobber answered in return, calm as always. "Not much of a sneak attack if you ask me."

"Do you wanna risk that?" Snotlout's father backed off, lowering his tone of voice and crossing his muscular arms over his chest. "We can't wait around and hope he'll act like Oswald."

"But if he does intend on making a true peace treaty, we can't risk _not_ taking up the offer." The village chief shot a glare between both men. "What if he finds it offensive if we decline? A war isn't necessary if we can avoid it."

"I see your dilemma." Hiccup groaned, as he lifted his hand to his forehead and pushed back his hair. "But if he's already on his way, there isn't much we can do about it. I'd say we try and talk this out with him." He continued as all the eyes in the room fell on him. "Let's see exactly what he wants and if we can make a deal then fine. If not or if he goes back on the agreement, we have our dragons. We'll have a few advantages his army won't."

"Your boy makes a good point," Gobber's voice and vote of confidence made the rider relax.

"So we're just going to welcome his lunatic to our village?" Spitelout's voice grew higher once again. "Have you thought about everyone else? What are we going to do with all our elderly and kids if he launches a full on attack?!"

"We'll have to prepare everyone in the village either way," Stoick moved his right hand to the bottom of his lip. "He's on his way. We can't change that now."

"Gather the dragons and attack his ships from the air before they can defend themselves." His uncle lifted his right arm and pointed his index finger at his father.

"That'll start a war without a doubt," Gobber's brows furrowed. "That's the worst thing we can do."

"Is it?! This is our village we're talking about!"

"We're going to give this a shot," Stoick turned to his older family member. "We don't want to risk anything we don't have to. Attacking their ships is guaranteed to start a confrontation, one that we don't need."

Spitelout retracted his arm, "You're making a mistake."

"We will have our armies ready," The chief shifted his weight to the right. "We'll be ready for any move he makes. We will not let our guards down, I promise you that."

"Hmm."

"We'll treat him with as much respect as possible but keep guards around him and the island at every second." Stoick looked from male to male, being certain to make eye contact. "We'll find out what he wants and if we can give it to him. If we can get that treaty signed then at least have something. Either way, we're going to do this right. That's the plan."

"And if he goes back on the treaty?" Spitelout narrowed his eyes.

Stoick's eyes flickered. "We'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

"I second this plan." Gobber lifted his right arm from the opposite side of the room.

Hiccup's hand lifted as a smile began to spread across his face. "I third it."

"Good, then it's settled."

XoXoX

Hm, talk about feeling socially awkward again. But, hey it was better than it _was_ , right? He'd much rather be in this situation than the one he was in two or so years ago. Ah well, the sooner he got this done, the better and besides Hea wasn't the worst person on Berk to talk to. At least he wasn't having one of those good old fashioned one-on-one's with his dad.

Although his right side _did_ feel pretty lonely. But it was best not to take Toothless out on this one, right? After all, the last thing Hea needed was to be any more stressed out than she probably already was. He'd made that mistake once before anyway and it ended with said female punching the Night Fury in the snout. Gah, memories.

Hiccup approached the pasture, leather satchel hanging off his left shoulder. She was probably wanting it back at this point anyway and if she _was_ going to tell him off, it'd be a good gesture. After all for all he knew she could tell him to shove it and might not speak to him again and if he could give it to her now while he had the chance, why not?

An all too familiar rock came into view, ah the old sitting rock. She was there for sure. Once at the gate, he allowed himself in and made sure to lock the entry door behind him. Geez, that's all he needed, was for one of those stupid sheep to get out, then he'd have more than just one problem.

The clank of the rusted metal made the older female jump in her seat. She turned, looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with him. The watched one another for a short moment and instead of shooting him a nasty glare, she turned forward once again and moved to the left. Was she making room for him? So she wasn't mad?

With his heart pounding in his chest, he found his way to his reserved seat in the grass. The moment he landed beside her, he removed the satchel from his arm and placed it down between himself and the sheep herder. At this point, Hea had pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She kept her eyes glued out on the field, on the herd not once turning his way. Was she nervous or just really upset?

"Hey," He spoke first, "I uh just…you know, wanted to check on you." He inhaled a deep breath through his nose and pull in his bottom lip. "So, how are you?"

"Ah, I'm okay I guess." She answered, dropping her chin to the tops of her knees. "How have you been? How was fishing?"

"It was pretty much how you'd imagine it. Lots of sea water, fish and animalistic fights for dominance to see who could get the biggest catch."

She laughed, eyes shutting just for a second or two. "Yep, I wouldn't doubt that. But how are _you_ doing?" Hea asked, her focus still away from him.

"Hmm, how do I answer that?" He turned away from her for the first time he came to the pasture.

"You don't have to." Her tone softened. "I mean, you're feeling bad, I can understand that much. What about? I don't know and you don't _have_ to tell me."

His brow lifted, green eyes landing on the girl once again. "You aren't curious in the least?"

"Oh sure!" A low chuckle rumbled from her throat as she turned her chin to the sky. "I'm dying to know! But hey, I can remember a time not too long ago when I was feeling down and when you came to talk to me, you never pressured me to explain why. I really appreciated that when it happened. Made me feel like whatever it was, you'd respect how I felt."

How long ago was that? Hm, it was hard to remember now, had it been so long that it seemed more like a distant memory than anything?

" _Ah, I get it. You don't have to get into it if you don't want to."_

"The least I can do is return that favor and respect how you feel." Her hand lifted to her cheek and slowly pulled down, almost as if she were tired. "But if I did something to piss you off, I'd like to know. I mean, how can I apologize or fix it if I don't know what I did? Apparently I did something."

"I'm not sure how to put it," He shifted in his seat. "I'm just…I don't know."

"Don't worry about it." She turned to him finally, a weak smile growing on her face. "I get that you're mad."

Ugh, how could he not worry about it when it was still bothering him? And why was talking about his feelings all of a sudden so hard? Sure, he didn't know exactly what or how he was feeling and what to do about it but he should be able to discuss it, right?

" _Have you tried talking to Rye about any of this? Why not? If you two talked, maybe you'd feel better."_

He had to take his own advice, follow what he believed in. Talking things over would make him feel better, his head knew that but what was it in his heart that kept his lips sealed? Embarrassment, maybe? After all, Vikings weren't supposed to really talk about _emotions_ but if exchanging words would make a difference there wasn't any reason for him _not_ to do it.

Hiccup broke their connection, looking to the ground and gripping at the fabric of his pant leg. "I'm just not used to it yet."

"Used to what?" Her tone lightened.

"You're…ugh." He ripped his left hand from his side and brushed his fingers through his brown locks. "You…"

"Not used to me?" He could see from out of the corner of his eye the sheep herder tilting her head to one side.

"The attention."

Silence. Well, near silent beyond the distant sounds of Bug rolling around in the dirt a few feet away in the field. How was she feeling? Ashamed, embarrassed? Ugh, this was too complicated. How was he _supposed_ to say this? Just coming out and saying, 'you're coming on a little strong' sounded a bit harsh, didn't it? Odin knew if she said that to _him_ , it would wound what little pride he had left.

"I see."

Dare he look at her?

"Too much? Wow, I'm sorry."

He finally turned to her, to see her pink cheeks nearly glowing in the darkness. Her shoulders had slumped forward while her head ducked between them. Her fingertips gripped and grabbed at the fabric of her pants while her upturned brows hung heavy over her eyes.

"No, I-"

"I mean, I didn't want to latch to you everywhere you went or follow you around I just…really _like_ being with you." A sort of nervous chuckle left her lips. "When I feel really strong about something I take it too far. That's what Rye's told me that before anyway. I just get," Her hands came out from beneath her chin and extended outward. "Passionate about things, I guess."

Was this a _good_ sign or a _bad_ one? She was being awfully calm about this but on the other hand, she was blushing, nervous and shaking, maybe she was trying to fight back anger? Any other woman on Berk would be mad about this kind of thing, then again she wasn't raised a Viking.

"I'll back off."

"It's not so much about 'backing off'," He finally managed to speak, "I like our late night talks and messing around, I'm just not used to it yet. You know how it was hard for you to adjust to Toothless? It's kinda that way for me right now."

Her eyes darted away from him. "What do you want me to do?"

"I wish I knew." He sighed. "Just take it slow, I think."

"You made life a-hell of a lot easier for me here; I can do the same for you." Hea looked to him with a smile, regardless of the heavy flush on her face.

"Thanks, it means a lot to me."

"Hey, an eye for an eye." Her hand shot up to her face and with her index and pinky fingers pointed toward her eyes, she guested once at herself then to him. "I got ya."

 _That's more like it._

Now on to matter number two, "I wanted to apologize about earlier." Hiccup grunted, now feeling his own cheeks swell with blood. "After I saw you'd packed lunch for yourself and Rye, I felt really bad."

"Ah, forget it!" With her arm still in motion, she waved a single time at him. "I mean it was pretty crushing and I did cry but hey, what's a few tears amongst friends?"

"Oh wonderful, thanks for that." He smirked at her, seeing her turn her apparent angst into some sort of strange humor.

"You're welcome!" Hea pouted her bottom lip in the slightest manner and even maintaining a small smile in the process. "You should feel bad, jerk."

"Noted." His features relaxed. "We'll have more heartwarming discussions about our emotions in the future then."

The sheep herder finally pulled herself out of her tight ball of a seating position and stretched out her legs. She then placed either hand to the ground, at her sides. "So how _were_ my sandwiches? I've yet to hear about how delicious they were!"

His heart swelled. "They were good, and don't worry, the extras were eaten. More like fought over but they're gone." A laugh crept up his throat, as a visual image from this afternoon flashed in his head. "You'd think Tuffnut and Snotlout had never eaten before! Tore through the whole bag before I could eat half of mine."

"Nice to know." As the redness faded from her features, she pushed her back against the rock behind her. "Maybe it was better that I didn't go, I would have bragged and relished in the praise the whole time!"

"Hm."

 _What do you know, it works._

"Hey," The girl tilted her head to the left, "It's late and you've been up since sunrise. Why don't you get some shut eye? Things out here aren't going to get very interesting, you aren't missing anything."

"I should." His smile dropped. "We have a meeting to go attend tomorrow anyway." Hiccup grunted as he picked himself off the grass and stood straight.

"Do you?"

"' _We'_ means us," He shot a sarcastic smirk down at her. "All of us, at Mead Hall after lunch."

"Do I need to tell Rye about this?" She asked eyes full of pure wonder.

"Nah," He gave his head a shake, "I already told her. I wanted to come down and tell you myself, so I asked her not to tell you."

"Oh, sounds exciting! I'll be sure to show up."

"It won't disappoint you, that's for sure." Hiccup felt all the happiness and lightheartedness he had just acquired in the last few minutes of talking disappear within seconds of mentioning tomorrow's meeting. "I'll see you then."

"Okay, night."

The urge to stay and chat the night away after missing a complete day of goofing off hit him but the reality of resting up for tomorrow broke the mood. Ah well, there would always be nights to stay up way passed curfew to talk about stupid things and make lame inside jokes. They'd make up for tonight some other time.

For sure.

"Night."

Act End.


	4. Act Four

La Coordination

Act Four

"Are you _serious_? And you couldn't have _told_ us any earlier than today?!"

Ooooh no, there was _that_ tone. The tone Rye only used when she was really stressed. Then again, if there was an abrupt social situation that she was unaware of until the last second, it always stressed her sister out to the max.

"This sucks!" Ruffnut shouted from across the large rounded table.

 _I guess Rye's not the only one stressed out then._

"You mean Dagur's coming _here_?" Astrid asked, her index finger hitting the hard wooden surface.

"Yes, he's coming _here_ , to _Berk_." Hiccup nodded, standing at the end of the table with his father at his side.

Ah so _this_ was what the meeting was all about. Dagur's supposed return to Berk? Hea sat silent in her seat between Rye and Astrid. With her arms crossed on the table and her chin supported by her wrists, her eyes darted back and forth as each member of the 'council' argued their point.

Apparently this was a bad thing? She'd heard from Rye that when she was away on her trip he had come in place of his father to sign the peace treaty between tribes. Where ever Oswald was, she wasn't quite sure. She'd heard that the once agreeable leader of the Berserkers had 'passed away' and now his son was in charge. But when it came to agree/sign to the treaty there was the issue about the dragons, some fake dragon attack ensued and the matter was dropped for a period of time.

Then just recently Dagur found out the truth and everything just turned into one giant mess. And now he wanted to work a deal out? Eh, the sensible side of her screamed 'trap!' but Dagur wasn't _that_ bad of a guy, was he? Hell, she hadn't seen him in about four years but the last time they talked he seemed…decent? Sane? Not by a long shot but at least he wasn't running around with a torch, setting the village aflame. At least four years ago he wasn't.

"Does anyone else think this is a _really_ bad idea?" Fishlegs quivered in his seat.

"It's a terrible idea," Stoick interjected. "But he's already on his way; we have to make the best of this."

"No, no, this will all turn out fine because the _last time_ he was here, he tried to sign a paper with my dragon's blood!" Tuffnut snarled, inches away from his sister on the right and Snot on the left.

"If we could have stopped him coming before hand, we would have." Hiccup crossed his skinny arms over his chest. "But we have no choice now."

"Great," Rye removed her glasses from her face and placed them on the table. "And just how long have _you_ known about this?" She then shot a fierce glare at the blacksmith sitting beside her.

"Hey, this is news to me," Gobber's hand shot up in defense. "Stoick only told me a month ago!"

"A _month_?!"

"What good would it be to stress everyone out all at once?" He asked, dropping his hands and lifting his shoulders. "We thought it'd be easier to tell you all at once so you wouldn't have time to panic."

"Telling me at the last minute stresses me out even _more_." Rye lifted her hands to her face and began to rub her eyes.

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"And he says he wants a domestic worker in return for this peace treaty?" Astrid spoke out amongst the couple's quarrel one person away from her.

" _Domestic worker_?" Ruff curled up her lip. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It's a nice word for servant." Stoick answered in a less than enthused tone.

"Or in other words, a slave." Tuff added.

"Okay," Astrid went on with the question she hadn't had a chance to finish. "So that means that someone from _this_ village is going to leave and _work_ for Dagur and the Berserkers? How can we just ship one of our own there with that nutcase?"

"Hey, as long as it's not anyone important, let's just ship 'em out and get this guy out of our hair!" Snotlout huffed.

"Does that mean we can ship _you_ out there?" Ruffnut leaned across the table and grinned at the smaller male next to her brother.

"I nominate Snotlout!" The blond male's arm shot up into the air.

"Not cool!"

"Enough." The chief barked.

The sound of Hiccup clearing his throat drew all eyes his way. "That's just what he's asking for, it doesn't mean we're going to agree to it. If we can work something else out with them, we'll find out."

"Fine." Astrid's elbows hit the table. "Say that we work everything out just fine and dandy, what do we do if he stages a sneak attack when we're least expecting it because he signs some stupid paper?"

"Are we _ever_ not expecting an attack?" Hiccup released a lengthy sigh. "We're Vikings! Fighting is what we do."

"Really?" Fishlegs whimpered.

"Okay, all joking aside," The dragon trainer inhaled. "We'll be on watch; we'll make sure nothing happens. And if something does, we have our dragons!"

Huh, so the last few times Dagur was in town it really stirred up a shitstorm, didn't it? Too bad she didn't have anything to say on the matter, had she'd been there at least she could contribute to the conversation. Ah well, watching the kids go at one another was amusing enough.

A loud groan from the sheep herder's left made the room wait for the complaint that was soon to follow. Hea glanced to Astrid to see her, seeming already exhausted with her fist pressed against her cheek and her fingers of her free hand drumming on the table. "It's just… he's so aggressive."

"And loud," Rye said at the right, face now covered with her two hands.

"And scary!" Fishlegs yelped across from her.

"Nuts too." Ruffnut pouted.

"Hey, he's still _kinda_ cool." Snotlout gave the council a weak shrug. "I mean, besides the whole killing dragons, using their blood for ink and almost killing Toothless thing."

Hiccup parted his lips as if to respond when the double doors to Mead Hall opened. The loud echoing creak made everyone in the room stop mid-thought and turn. Even with the sunlight pouring into the hall, Spitelout came into view relatively fast.

"We've spotted the boat about twenty miles from shore, Stoick."

"He's coming _TODAY_?!" Rye's jaw nearly hit the table. "Oh what the fu-"

Instead of answering or even acknowledging her older sister's question, the chief stepped out from behind the table, his son hot on his heel. As the leader moved across the room, each teen Viking rose from their seat as if to follow him as well.

"Hiccup," The large redhead turned to his son, "You, Astrid and Fishlegs come with me to the dock. We have our first round of warriors waiting there and we need you three as back up."

"Sure."

The alpha male then looked to the remaining riders. "The rest of you stay here and watch the borders of our village. Make sure you investigate anything suspicious or out of the ordinary."

"Aw!" Snotlout was first to fall back into his wooden chair. "Lame!"

"Alright, let's move out!" Stoick, followed by his three finest riders, stepped out of the large eating hall.

 _Careful guys, if you get hurt I'll kill you myself._

Ugh, this couldn't turn out bad, not with all that training Astrid had put them through. They'd be fine. At least, they'd _better_ be.

The sound of the chair beside her moving made the baker turn. She then watched as Rye lifted herself from her seat and turned to Gobber. "Hey, be careful out there, okay? Don't do anything I wouldn't do." The nurse commented, placing her frames back over her nose.

"Ah, you know me." The larger, older male proceeded to give the woman a solid pat on her shoulder. "I may be dumb but I'm not stupid!"

"Uh-huh."

After both male and female walked away from the table, Hea lifted herself from her own seat and followed after the rest of the group. Being the last to step into the sunlight, she watched as the group with Stoick faded just from view. Well, with them gone things were going to be a bit dull. Especially if she was going to fall victim to the twin's teasing again. Not to mention everyone's dragons were a bit closer than she would have appreciated, seeing as they were waiting just outside the hall for their partners.

Just before she could say anything to the small group left behind, the image of Gobber passing her side made her brow lift. Just as he moved by, Rye arrived beside her. What the heck was that about? Some secret good bye or something? Gross. Ah well.

"What's the deal with us being left behind?" Snotlout grunted, having found his way to Hookfang's side. "Like we aren't good enough!"

"Nah," Rye's chin turned in said boy's direction. "We need you here. You and Hookfang have best offense! If we need a good, long range attack we have you to do the job!"

Ew, why was she giving him any sort of compliment? Now he was gonna gloat all day. Gah, best to get _away_ from him before he started to work her nerves. Besides, pretend arguing with the twins was more interesting anyway, even if was just by a hair.

Hea broke away from her sister, leaving her to deal with Snot alone, and turned toward the two other siblings. They had of course gathered around Barf and Belch, no doubt caught in the beginning of a new argument. The sheep herder moved her eyes away from the twins, her stare now moving to the dragon standing next to them. Huh, it seemed tame enough. It wasn't jerking and twitching all nervous-like, like Stormfly.

Was B&B just as easy to ride as Tooth? The siblings didn't seem to have too much trouble co-working with it. And if that dragon could withstand putting up with the two of them, it could tolerate one more, right? It was about time she tried riding a dragon other than that Night Fury anyway! And if Hiccup was gonna need space, why not use the time to get acquainted with everyone else?

Gah, only if as easy to reason with her stomach as it was reasoning with her head.

Her stomach twisted for the first time that afternoon as she stepped closer two the brother-sister duo. "Hey, I got an idea. Let's pass the time and take turns flying above the island. That way we get a good look around the place; see if there's any mysterious, sinister forces approaching the village."

"' _Mysterious sinister forces'_?" Ruffnut repeated, brow lifted.

"Yeah sure."

"Oh!" Snotlout jumped out from beside Rye. "Me first!"

Hea frowned, "No way." She took a few steps toward the twins, her hands attached to her hips. "It was my idea; I get to say who goes first! And I pick Ruff and Tuff."

"Whoa, cool!" Ruff balled her fists and pulled them to her chest.

"What's the catch?" Her brother leaned in.

"I'm coming with you." Hea announced, head held high and her with her right hand now placed below her collarbone.

"Lame." The shortest male crossed his arms over his wide chest and pouted.

"You'll get a chance," The short-haired girl shot a glare back in Snot's direction. "In the meantime you get to hang out with Rye _all by yourself_."

"Oh, yeah." The younger trainer glanced at the four-eyed woman and _smirked_. "I'm good with that then."

Just then Rye stiffened like someone pressed a hot spike to her lower back. With her glasses dropping halfway down her nose, a bright red embarrassed flush appeared over her cheeks. She then shot the sheep herder a look that was reminiscent of an angry mother. Ah, how many times had their _own_ mom given them that exact same look when they were out of line? Ah, memories.

 _You're doing well socially, you can handle this._

"Anyway!" Hea whirled away from her sister and moved closer to the siblings to her right. "Let's get going!" She announced, clapping both palms together.

"We didn't say you could come with," Tuffnut pouted. "You aren't the boss of us!"

"Oh come on," Her arms fell and her shoulders lifted. "I made you're lunch yesterday! Don't be so greedy with your dragon!"

"Hey, you were all like scared of Barf and Belch yesterday, what happened?" Ruff's brows touched the top of her forehead.

Ugh! Why did they have to make everything so damn hard! "What does it matter?! Come _on_ , let's just do this."

"Fine, _fine_." The male twin rolled his eyes and released a loud, exaggerated groan. "Just stop complaining!"

Good! She relaxed her muscles, limbering up for the next stress test. After allowing her shoulders to fall back into place, she reached into the front pocket of her pants. Her fingers traced along the rock-hard ginger candies she always carried on hand and picked the biggest one in the bunch. She removed her hand from her pocket and proceeded to pop the medium-sized candy into her mouth.

 _Just a bit of insurance!_

That finished and done, Hea moved on to see both male and female riders already seated in their designated spots. Well, they didn't just instantly take off while she was distracted, that was a good note. Thank Thor for small miracles. Seeing that the male twin was closest in distance, she approached him, standing just behind him with her leg ready to move around Belch's neck.

"You not gonna puke everywhere, right?" He looked back at her with an utter look of disgust.

"Hey, that _almost_ happened _one time_ , geez." The older female rolled her large brown eyes, seizing the moment take her place behind him.

"Why do you hafta sit over here anyway?" He shifted in his seat, throwing a mean stare her way.

"You were the closest to me," She crossed her arms over her bust. "I didn't _feel_ like walking all the way around to get to your sister. But next time I'll make sure to put in the extra effort, creep."

He turned forward again but not before releasing a huff.

"We'll be back," Hea removed her right arm from her chest and gave a single wave to her sister. "It won't be too long!"

"Careful!" Rye called back, sending her the same signal. "Don't look down!"

"I won't, don't-"

Before she could finish speaking, the ground beneath her vanished and a sudden gust of pressure pressing down on her head and shoulders made her release a scream. Did they _not care_ that she wasn't ready yet?! Hell, she hadn't even taken the second to wrap her arms around her partner's torso! The force of their bodies flying through the sky made her eyes shut and ears throb while the wind whooshing past her face created a sort of high pitched whistle. Within the instant of hitting the sky, her arms shot out and clenched to Tuffnut's trunk. She pulled the younger male against her as tight as possible; if she happened to fall off because of this little stunt then _he_ was coming with her!

As her initial scream came to a gradual stop, the sound of both teens _laughing_ made her cheeks swell. Oh so this was some kind of joke, was it? Huh, very funny. Vikings and their shitty sense of humor.

"Get a grip, Hea!" The sound of Ruffnut shouting over the wind made her brow line twitch.

The pressure of shooting into the sky like a cannon soon subsided, meaning that the elevation had most likely stopped. So this was as high as they were gonna go? The trembling girl took a moment to inhale through her lips before prying open her left eye. Wispy, misty clouds appeared to her first, relaxing her and prompting her to open her right eyelid. Just how high were they? Hiccup and Toothless _never_ went up high enough to be at even level with _clouds_.

"Ease up on the organs, Hea! You're killing me!" Tuff leaned back in the slightest manner, almost like he was trying to breathe or something.

Ugh, the urge to squeeze even tighter almost made her fingertips tingle. Resisting her craving, she relieved the tension in her arms, allowing them to fall loose at his side. Damn having to be the older, wiser and well-behaved older teenager! Heaven forbid if word ever reached Stoick that she was torturing anyone; she'd get a daylong lecture that'd make her ears bleed.

"Ow, now my spleen is gonna hurt for the next week." Geez, he even bellyached like a younger sibling.

"You don't even know what a spleen is." She rolled her eyes.

Just after her remark left her lips, a gust of chilly air blew past them. Her hair ruffled in the wind, flowing beneath her chin, under her ears and ran over the sensitive skin on her neck. So wind up high really was cold! It wasn't like the same kind of cold she found in snow or water but more like sharp needles pressing against every inch of exposed skin. Her skin raised and quivered almost as if someone was running the tips of their nails against the back of her neck. It was almost invigorating, energizing, electrifying! Something she could defiantly get _used to_.

"Whoa," She whispered to herself.

And the view! Who knew that the sky could carry so many shades of blue, baby blue, white and gray! It was almost like a painting, one of the paintings that Bucket worked so hard to complete during his off time. How could something so amazing and beautiful only exist in the sky? Before Hiccup tried everyone to ride dragons, no one had ever had this kind of view before. To imagine how much wonder they had all been missing out on. Why had she waited this long to see this? Had she known how peaceful and gorgeous it was up beyond the clouds, maybe her fear of heights would have been easier to deal with. Knowing she'd get a view like this, it was worth risking getting sick.

Hea pressed her against the young man in front of her, getting a better view of the world around her. Just how far did the ocean stretch?! Sure, she'd sailed the great blue before but just seeing from this angle made the world seem endless.

"Do you mind not pressing against me!" Tuff turned to her, still looking pretty disgruntled and uncomfortable. "I can feel your chesthams on my back!"

Chesthams?! He wasn't talking about her _boobs_ was he?! What the hell!? She couldn't help that!

"Hahaha," Ruff's classic giggle-snort made her flinch. "You said _chesthams_."

"What are you, three?!" Hea barked in reply, backing off him. "Grow up!"

"It's gross!"

"UGH!" Her hand came up to her face. "Next time I'm sitting with Ruff for sure."

As the third partier moved her fingers down the side of her face, her eyes happened to glance down. A quick flash of more white and blue made her jerk and give her noggin a quick shake. What the heck? She wasn't going to start to feel dizzy now, was she?

The sound of Ruffnut's continuous laughter brought the older woman back to semi-reality. Trying to refocus her attention on the problem at hand instead of potential airsickness, Hea shot a frown in the blonde's direction. "Hey, you aren't too far from growing your own! Laugh while you can."

The snickers came to an abrupt halt and her smile flipped in a blink. "Not if I can help it."

"Whatever," Hea resisted the urge to roll her eyes, why induce the chance of further dizziness? "We're supposed to be scanning the village anyway. Let's get to work."

"Yeah, yeah." Tuffnut snorted, no doubt taking full advantage of the fact that he could actually roll his eyes without feeling ill. "Come on Belch, go."

"Barf, follow!" Ruffnut shouted seconds later.

The ease of 'treading air' ended in an instant as the large dragon did a nosedive through the thin air. Instead of screaming this time around, Hea released a gasp and returned her vice grip to the male in front of her. The dive ended just as quickly as it started and the reptile shifted to the left.

"Alright, go ahead and get your look."

Ugh, they wanted her to look down?! What was wrong with _their_ eyes?! Didn't they hear Rye when she told her 'not to look down' just before takeoff? Now this was just mockery! Did they want her to get sick or something? No doubt if she did puke her stomach inside out, they'd never let her live it down.

"There are _three_ of us, we can all look!" She yelped, eyes still shut tight.

"Hey, we're just the guys with the dragon." Ruff shouted several feet away. "You wanted to come so bad, you do the looking, it was your idea!"

"Fine!" She couldn't let them get the better of her, she could this. Totally.

Swallowing all the excess spit that had gathered on her tongue in the last few moments, Hea allowed her eyes to flutter open. More sky, more clouds, nothing too bad. She inhaled through her nose, and wetted her lips which had gone dry during the trip.

Before she could even look down this time around, the feeling of her head nearly floating off her shoulders returned twice fold. A verbal 'whoa', left her before she could process holding it back. No way, this couldn't be happening now. She had the ginger candy under her tongue, why wasn't it working?! Ugh, it wasn't the fact that she was stressed out enough between the troubles with Hiccup, riding a new dragon _and_ being teased by the terrible twosome, was it?

A sudden burp that tasted way too much like lunch slipped between her lips, forcing her to slap her hand around her mouth. Gah, it was happening so fast this time around! And while sweat began to build and drip off her chin, a sudden chill ripped through her body making her wither in her seat.

No, she could fight this back. It didn't have to end like this! If she just shut her eyes and relaxed everything would be fine again, right? After swallowing a second round of acid that threatened to come up her throat, the distressed girl closed her eyes once again and pushed her forehead against the back of her riding partner. He flinched upon contact but at this point she couldn't care less.

He hollered something back at her but instead of listening or responding she took another deep breath. Ugh, why wasn't this working?! More and more spit gathered in her mouth and her stomach continued to flip, twist and turn. When the second unexpected or predicted burp hit her hand-covered mouth, the dizziness made her world spin even she tried to hide behind the darkness of her eyelids. How could she be dizzy if there wasn't anything to be seen?! That didn't make any _sense_.

And…why was the whole world growing even _darker_? How does black become even _blacker_?! It was almost like she was gonna fain-

Act End.


	5. Act Five

La Coordination

Act Five

A high-pitched whimper at her side made her flinch. What? She felt her brows come together at the center of her forehead as she pulled in her bottom lip. Where? Hea forced open her eyelids, meeting the blurry world of her own bedroom. She was in her bed? What the heck? What _happened_ and why was her head pounding beyond belief? Sure, she'd heard from Rye what a hangover felt like but this couldn't be anything like _that_ could it? She hadn't been drinking! Shit, she _never_ drank! She wouldn't risk puking like that-

Wait.

" _Hey, I got an idea. Let's pass the time and take turns flying above the island. That way we get a good look around the place; see if there's any mysterious, sinister forces approaching the village."_

" _You not gonna puke everywhere, right?"_

Great, fuckin' wonderful.

So did that mean she actually _passed out_? Sure, it wasn't unusual for her to faint under harsh circumstances but to pass out _midair?!_ How to the hell did she come down in one piece? Ugh, that didn't mean that Tuffnut saved her, did it? That was the last thing she needed was to be thankful to that jerk.

A second familiar whine snapped the young woman out of memory and into reality. Glancing over the side of her comfortable bed, she saw her four-legged daughter sitting on the hardwood floor. The ball of fluff wore a look of utter confusion and worry, with her ears flat against her head and muzzle tucked into her furry mane.

"Hey Bug." Hea managed to send a smile to the canine below. "How long have you been down there? The whole time?"

Bug pushed off the floor and placed her two front paws on the bed's side. She then released a whine before yelping in a rather _high_ pitch. The cook flinched the moment her eardrums vibrated, forcing her hands to the sides of her head. Ugh.

"Okay, okay. That's enough." Still recovering from the verbal assault on her hearing, she reached down to the pup and patted her head.

What the hell even convinced her to take to the air anyway? Things were still pretty fuzzy, memory-wise. There were clouds, wind, Tuffnut's complaining and then darkness. Almost like someone just blew out a candle, her memory ended in a single snap! Gah, it was just gonna take a few minutes or even hours to recall what happened, but it'd come back. It always did.

Hea tore her quilt off her tired, aching body to see that she was almost completely undressed. While her skin tight long-sleeved shirt and undergarments were still in tacked, her baggy over shirt, pants and boots had been removed. What the? So did that mean that she _did_ puke all over the place and had to be taken out of her filthy clothes? Shit.

She needed to get back into proper dress. There _was_ something important to do, wasn't there? After all, she wouldn't just jump on B&B's back for nothing. There was a meeting before hand, right? Huh.

 _What…was it about again?_

" _Are you_ serious _? And you couldn't have_ told _us any earlier than today?!"_

Yeah, yeah there was that but _what_ _was it?_

" _You mean Dagur's coming_ here _?"_

OH SHIT! That's right, Dagur was coming! _Today_! What the heck was she sitting in bed for? She had to get to the meeting and make sure everyone came back from the dock in one piece! Forget whether she puked…everywhere…in front of her peers. Ugh! Never mind!

Hea swung her legs over the bed, her dog moving aside in the process, and jumped out of her cot. Her bare feet hit the freezing wooden floor and instead of hesitating or shuddering, she proceeded to move forward. But when the feeling of the ground beneath her suddenly disappeared and a sharp unexpected pain in both knees appeared, she groaned. Really? She fell down? What the hell was wrong with her?!

With her chin 'rested' on the floor her eyes remained shut until a bird-like chirp made her brow twitch. She opened one eye at a time, the image of Phobos coming into clear view. The 'Smallish dragon' stood nearly nose to nose with her, examining her with a set of wide eyes. Had she come running once the loud thud of her lifeless body hit the hard ground? Figures, no doubt the bang echoed through the tiny home like a bell.

Seeing no reaction change in the Terror who instead just stood there watching with a _dead stare_ , Hea inhaled via her nose and blew a round of air to the tiny reptile two inches away from her face. Once the warm wind hit Phobos' face she released a string of squeaks, turned tail and scurried away like some kind of salamander. Yeah, that was real helpful. Dumb animal.

"Hea? Was that you?"

"Yes." She groaned from her spot on the floor.

The sound of Rye making her way to the backroom let the younger sister release a sigh of relief. At least someone was home to fill her in on what was happening. Just as the four-eyed nurse rounded the corner, Bug appeared at her side, panting and tail wagging. Huh, someone was in a good mood.

"Hea!" The moment their eyes locked, the long-haired female rushed in and took hold of her limp arms. "What happened?! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just feel kinda weak. Got outta bed too fast, I guess." She grunted as Rye helped her to take a seat back on the bed behind them. "What's going on? I remember Dagur's coming, something about flying with the twins and…then poof! Gone."

"Ah, yeah." The stable sibling sat down as well. "That's pretty much what's been going on. I should have known ahead of time that when those two launched off the ground like that with you, you would get dizzy. I'm sorry."

"What?" Hea brought her right hand to her forehead.

"Yup," She nodded almost as if she were ashamed. "They bolted off the ground and into the air like some kind of arrow. With your low blood pressure _and_ air sickness, I should have expected this."

"Forget it, it's done now."

"No!" She protested, back straightening out. "They're gonna get it when I have a chance to speak to them _and_ Stoick alone! They know better than that! Thank _Thor_ they had the decency to bring you back in one piece."

"Yeah," Hea slumped forward, her elbows hitting her knees. "How'd they pull that off anyway?"

Rye's eyes moved away from her just as her tiny dragon partner clawed up the bedpost took position on her shoulder. "Well, by the time I saw you guys, Tuff was holding your arms around his waist, so probably that way. They did seem a bit more careful coming down though, maybe because you were _unconscious_."

"Ah well." Hea shrugged. "Anyway, what's going on? Is Dagur gone yet?"

Her sister flinched and turned her way again. "Oh no, he's _here_."

"What?!"

"Oooooh yeah." She nodded.

"I thought Hiccup and Stoick wanted to _get rid of him_." Hea leaned in to her kin. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get to them before something bad happens!"

"Whoa," Rye's two hands shot up. "Relax. Everything's cool right now. Last I checked, they were talking everything out, nothing bad has happened _yet_." She dropped her palms and narrowed her eyes. "I know what you're thinkin' but no, you're too shaky right now."

"I'm going." Hea's lip gave an instant pout. "Whether you help or not. I have to see this for myself."

"And what good are you gonna be if you pass out again? If something bad _does_ happen, heaven forbid, then getting you out of there is gonna be hard."

"I. Am. Going."

"Ugh." Rye's head moved from side to side while her delicate brown eyes rolled. She then pushed herself off the bed and took a few steps across the bedroom. "Fine, whatever. All I need is you falling all over the place and breaking something."

"Good!"

"At least get dressed." Rye turned and crossed her arms over her bust.

Oh yeah. Before attempting to stand, she reached to the floor, gathering the pants that had been removed for whichever reason or another. "So I guess I did throw up?" She asked, fitting her right leg through her pants.

"Oh? No." A smile appeared on her sister's face. "When I got you to your bed, I wanted you to be as comfortable as possible so I undressed ya."

"Thank goodness." Hea released a sigh as her left leg moved through the semi-tight fabric. "That means the record still holds."

"Yep."

"Oh and that ginger candy?" The sheep herder asked, making her way to feet in the slowest and most careful way possible. "I didn't like…choke on it or anything right?"

"Nah, it was still under your tongue, I fished it out."

"Gross."

She made sure to snap the buckle on her belt shut before dusting off her pants and slip into her house shoes. They weren't her boots but hey, she wasn't gonna waste time right now! With her head swimming just _slightly_ , she approached Rye and shot her a grin. Once again the older female smirked and gave a playful roll of the eyes before releasing her arms from her chest. Rye then moved her left arm through hers and walked with her to the open front door.

With Bug right behind them, they walked outside. For a moment the bright light from the sun made her flinch and the world spin but a quick squint of the eyes and she recovered. At least for the time being. And if her legs began to give out again then Rye was right there to keep her intact. Things were gonna be just fine!

"So, what has he said?" Hea leaned into Rye, whispering in her ear.

"Nothing threatening yet. He wanted to check the village, take a real tour of Berk with the dragons around before having the sit down."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah but it's still really weird." The nurse grimaced. "He's being really optimistic and polite. Well, as polite as a Berserker can be I guess. But the strangest thing? He came _without_ his armada. He had a few soldiers of course, but nothing like the last time he was here. Something's up."

"Hm."

Okay this was so obviously a trap that it couldn't possibly be a trap, right? Ugh, no one, not even a Viking from the Berserker tribe, could be that _stupid_. No one. If this _was_ a 'well planned strategy' on his part then he had to be the most ignorant, senseless, mad man in the entire world! Couldn't he see, assuming it was trick that even someone like _Snotlout_ could see right through him? He had to be being honest.

As the two sisters came to the center of the village, the sound of a very familiar deep and semi-crazed laugh made them both freeze. Oh geez that was him wasn't it? He did sound rather…calm, as calm as someone with the tagline 'the deranged' could get anyway. And as long as there were no battle cries, screams or alarms then everything was going okay. Insane laughter was prefect at this point, just as long as no one was pulling each other apart.

Still frozen with fear and anxiety, they both waited until a crowd of people came into view. The laughter, both crazed and awkward came to a still as both groups noticed one another. Among the many in the cluster of Vikings were the ones she cared most for, the riders, Stoick and Gobber. Oh and the delightful addition of Spitelout but in the middle was a face that she hadn't seen in a good four or five years.

He appeared almost the same of course he'd grown taller…bigger…and more vicious-looking but there wasn't any shred of doubt that this was Oswald's boy. Dagur the Deranged. His eyes landed on Rye first but then shifted in an instant to her. Her heart nearly fell into her stomach as she stood there, no doubt paler than usual. What the hell? Why was he staring at her like she was some kind of stranger! He knew her, she knew him! It wasn't like her face had sustained some kind of damage from the horrid ride with the twins earlier that day.

"Rye." Stoick spoke first, grabbing the majority of eyes in the area.

"Oh man, you're up already?" Ruffnut's comment from the background made both siblings shrink.

"We thought you died." Her brother added without _any_ hesitation.

 _Why is it always death with them?!_

"Sir?" Rye looked to the village leader pathetic smile.

Stoick stood strong, straight and confident, "What is He-"

"And who is this?"

The area stilled. At the sound of his voice it was as if the world itself had stopped spinning. It was at this point that Hea's eyes wandered for just a brief moment, taking note of the rider's dragons standing by. Where they waiting for something bad to happen? To protect everyone? Toothless in particular stiffened and lowered his head as Dagur stepped out from the Vikings and made his way _toward_ her and her sister.

Oh no, he wasn't talking to _them_ was he?!

"This?" Rye's hands tightened around her right shoulder. "You know Hea!" She said as a string of very nervous chuckles hit the chilly air.

"Hea?" He leaned into to her, eyes glued to her face. "Is that you?!"

"Uh…" Her eyes darted right, left and right again. "Yeah, it's me. Hello Dagur."

"It is Hea!" Before she could even process what was happening, he had made his way to her side. "Look at you!" He spoke in a tone too loud and way too excited given the circumstances. He then moved both of his arms toward her, gesturing from her head to her feet. "You're all grown up!"

Oh god, he wasn't going to do that 'look how big you are now' thing was he? Or was he _already_ technically doing that now? "Uh-huh." Hea responded, keeping her arms close to her sides.

"You weren't here last time I visited! I heard you were on some great adventure." He said still smiling like he was legitimately interested or something. "How long has it been since I last saw you then?" He asked in the most phony way possible, his hands now attached to his hips.

"Uh, like four or five years…I think. I was twelve or thirteen." She answered. "It hasn't _really_ been that long; I mean you really didn't recognize me?"

"Ah, has it been that long?" He asked regardless of the question she asked beforehand.

He glanced away from everyone within range and looked to the sky as if he were reminiscing. After a moment or two of more awkward silence, he took in a rather _loud_ inhale. The sound of him taking in the large breath made the females closest to him stiffen and sway _away_ from him. He released the air in his lungs with a sigh and before anyone could speak, he released a band of _earsplitting, booming_ laughs that made _everyone_ cringe. What the? Did anyone say anything that was supposed to be funny? Or maybe a random thought caught his mental eye?

"Ah I remember now." Instead of taking her hint of slowly moving away from him, he reached out to her and grabbed her free left shoulder. "The last time I saw you, you had sent little _Hiccup_ here out on that fake snipe hunt." He then jerked his chin in said boy's direction.

For a second, Hea moved her eyes to her crush only to see him physically growing smaller.

"Oh we had some good laughs, didn't we?" Dagur's loud voice caught her eye once again. "The kid was literally gone for _hours_ , remember? Stoick," He stopped and looked to the chief. "How many _hours_ were the troops looking for your lost _chick_?"

Without a trace of a smile, chuckle or any kind emotion, Stoick shot a glare at their guest. "Five hours. After dark."

"Can you _believe_ ," He squeezed her shoulder almost as if to get her attention. "That someone as smart as _Hiccup_ could fall for a prank like that? Not even his _cousin_ would fall for something as childish as that! You had him wrapped around your little finger. I respect that."

Oh fuck. Hea's bottom lip pulled inward to where she could bite down with her front teeth. Her eyes darted from Dagur, who was way too pleased with brining this back up, to Snot and his father who looked more than insulted down to the tiniest of the bunch.

"Yeeeeeah," Hiccup cleared his throat. "We can stop talking about that now."

He wasn't going to suddenly turn to her and say something stupid and even more embarrassing like, 'laugh with me', was he?

"Try not to be so sensitive, Hiccup." The pressure on her left shoulder subsided _a bit_. "It's all in good, fair, equal _fun_."

"Yeah sure." The trainer grunted.

"Anyway!" He announced with the voice of true village/tribe leader. "You were quite the scamp back then," He returned his focus to her, finally removing his hand from her body. "Comedic genius!"

"You know me," Hea lifted her throbbing left arm and moved it out in front of her chest. "I'm just…hysterical like that."

 _Thanks for reminding everyone of that. Pretty sure my sins were forgiven up until just now._ _Just when Stoick was starting to tolerate me too…_

"So!" He walked away from her and Rye and brought his two hands together in a clap. "I have the treaty ready for signing, let's just discuss the matter of the sla-" He paused, coughed and continued, "I mean the _domestic worker_ I'm here for. The sooner, the better!"

 _Oh god, was he gonna say 'slave'?!_

"Whoa," Stoick took a step toward the Berserker leader. "We haven't agreed on anything yet, Dagur. We need to sit down and talk about this before anything happens."

The young male's shoulders pulled backward and his face grew solid and still. "Fine, we can discuss it. But I do want to work this out as quietly as possible. You know my father would be rolling in his watery _grave_ if he thought you were going to _decline_ my offer of peace."

"I understand what your father would have wanted more than anyone," Stoick's dark eyes narrowed. "But we still-"

"You _do_ want peace." Dagur's arms crossed over his broad chest. "Don't you?"

Silence.

"Because I would both love _and_ hate to destroy all the dragons you care so much for." A cocky smirk spread over his face, even if his tone was dark. "Isn't it trust enough that I came to you, _your_ island without my _armada_ , on my own time and _suggestion_ with the treaty ready and waiting to sign?"

After a few more seconds of silence, Stoick inhaled through his nose and with his fists clenched at his sides looked straight into the eyes of the demon. "Let's make a deal."

Yeah…this wasn't turning out the way anyone had planned, had it?

Act End.


	6. Act Six

La Coordination

Act Six

The doors to Mead Hall shut with a dreadful thud. Sure, he'd been through many situations where he was more than uncomfortable, agitated and worried but this had to be one of the worst. Although this did _not_ compare to the first time Dagur showed up on Berk; the time when he thought Oswald the Agreeable was still alive and willing to keep the peace between the tribes without any kind of argument. _That_ was terrible. Back then there was a chance that things could turn sour at any moment but this time around there was a chance for peace. Of course it was a very slim chance but it was something. He had to make the best of this, no matter what.

Stoick the Vast allowed his guest to take a seat first, of course at the far end of the table in question while he, Gobber and Spitelout sat side by side. They were going to discuss this like men and if there was any kind of trouble, then they would settle it like warriors. No tricks or traps on their end, this was going to remain civil.

"So how are we going to 'talk' about this or what?" Dagur groaned, throwing himself into his seat almost like some sort of spoiled child.

"Yes," Stoick nodded, placing his arms on the table. "We need to know what you want from us and what we can expect from you. I won't tolerate you setting us up and taking us for fools. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah." The younger male's hand flew into the air and waved back and forth. "Let's get this done; I have a village to run. I thought I made it clear that I need a domestic worker, is that so much to ask for?"

"Yeah, about that." Gobber spoke from his left. "Domestic worker can mean number of things; wanna clarify exactly what you need?"

"UGH." Dagur tipped himself backward in his wooden seat. "You know, one of those workers. The type that cook? We need one of those cooking slaves." His eyes darted away the older trio while his hand whirled in the air once or twice.

"What?" Spitelout's lip lifted. "What happened to your last village chef?"

"Well," The redheaded young man brought his arms to his chest and crossed them. "After my father's unfortunate, untimely, and unexpected passing, some of my workers caught a bad case of cowardice. The fled like mice and all because they thought I was 'too aggressive', 'too unagreeable' or 'too unpredictable'." He continued one, briefly allowing his shoulders to rise and fall. "So a few of my guards have been preparing our meals and it isn't going as planned."

"Oh?" Stoick's brow lifted.

"What's wrong with that? It sounds like you already have a replacement." Spitelout narrowed his eyes, no doubt ready to pounce with his sword ready.

"Are you kidding me?!" Dagur spat, voice growing loud enough to make the room vibrate. "Those idiots can't cook! They have no idea how to prepare meat! Half the village has parasites as it is!"

"Oh," Gobber's eyebrows touched the top of his forehead. "That _is_ a problem. Dreadful things, worms."

Stoick leaned into the table, stare not giving in for anything. "So you want one of our chefs? What makes you think we'll just hand over one of our own? We can't trust you."

"Now why would I come _all the way_ down here if I was just gonna kill off one of your pathetic chefs? I've already wasted a lot of time and energy getting down here!" He responded, child-like pout getting the better of him.

"Now, you wouldn't have wasted _anything_ had you sent us a message ahead of time." The chief struck back.

"And how could I be sure that you wouldn't have just _ignored_ my request? Coming down here shows you I mean business." Dagur pushed his chair forward once again to where all four legs were placed on the ground. "BUT, that's beside the point. I'm here now. Just give me what I want and this treaty will be signed."

"Just because we sign a treaty doesn't guarantee me that you and your tribe will behave." The largest redhead in the hall gripped his fists. "How can we be sure that you won't ambush us in the meantime?"

The younger man's chin tipped downward, causing the light from the room to cast a dark shadow over his sharp features. "You're just gonna hafta trust me."

"No," Spitelout's right open palm hit the wooden surface. "We won't risk that!"

The deranged Viking removed his arms from his chest and shrugged his massive shoulders. "Fine, we can play it this way too. If you _don't_ agree to my offer then when I get home I can prepare for my assault and you can expect my armada next month."

The leader felt his heart cease to beat, even if it was just for a moment. Sweat began to gather in his clenched hands while his teeth grinded together in his mouth. This was not what he wanted, if there was a chance they could settle this without any kind of violence, then that was the way it was going to go, even if that meant someone had to leave with Dagur.

"We won't be terrorized by you!" Spitelout leapt from his seat, pointing his index finger in visitor's direction. "You can't force us to sign what you want just because you threaten us!"

A single dark brow lifted on the Berserker's face. Almost like he needed time to digest what his right-hand man had just said, he waited a moment or two before sitting upright in his seat and pounding his left fist on the table beneath them. "And what makes you think we aren't feeling threatened by you! You all have those disgusting creatures listening to your every word! I can't trust _you_ either!"

"Are you suggesting we would launch an attack on your village without a good reason?" Stoick felt his cheek twitch.

"So what if I am?" Dagur's arms returned to their crossed position over his chest. "Fact is, if I'm gonna trust you, you're gonna hafta trust me."

"Well, before _any_ of _that_ has to happen," Gobber's light tone caught the room's attention. "Let's talk about this cooking slave of yours. What are you looking for?"

Another exaggerated sigh left the youngster's lips, eyes rolling along the way. "Anyone with the sense to cook a meal without killing the village."

The sound of Spitelout taking his seat once again made Stoick exhale. Thank Odin for Gobber and his way of turning around a situation. But even with things cooled down for the moment being, there was still the matter at hand to deal with. He needed someone, someone to _cook_ for him and the Berserkers. A person with enough free time _and_ experience to do so…

" _Funny seeing the minute I get back, with all my new skills, I have to go right back to_ sheep herding _._ "

Hea. But could he really do that? She had a sister here, friends here and _Hiccup_. How could he ship her off when she had just made so much progress to _stay_ on Berk? She'd worked so hard with Hiccup and just to throw it all away? But could it really be considered 'thrown away' if she was in turn helping the whole community by keeping both the villagers _and_ dragons safe?

"We have a person."

Both he and Gobber flinched hard. They then both turned, only to see Spitelout with a look of sternness they'd only seen in him in times of war. He couldn't be thinking the same thing, could he?

"Good!" Dagur's tone lifted, a smirk returning to his lips. "Let's get him all packed up and ship out!"

"No," Gobber leaned forward, looking past him at toward the darker haired male. "We can't just ship _you-know-who_ out!"

"Do _you_ have any other suggestions?" The man at his right repeated the blond's actions and moved into the table. "We can seriously send out anyone else. Ingerman's already busy as it is cooking and feeding _us_. We can get a new sheep herder; no one else knows how to cook!"

"Stoick," Gobber moved his attention away from the third wheel. "We can't in all good faith do this. There's gotta be another way."

"Are we done here ladies?" Dagur's voice caught the leader's eye. "I have things to do." He noted with his hands now free from his chest and fingers tapping on the table.

"What else do you want us to do?!" Spitelout snapped, clearly ignoring the guest at their table.

What _were_ they supposed to do? This was a single sacrifice, one that would benefit everyone. If the situation was explained to the girl then she would understand, wouldn't she? She would agree, he knew that much. It also didn't help that she was desperate to cook and disliked dragons anyhow. Maybe this was for the better, for _her_ and the village.

"We do have a cook." Stoick's eyes flickered across the table.

" _Stoick_."

Regardless of his best friend's pleas at his left, the chief held strong, refusing to look his way. "But she's inexperienced. I'm not sure how well she can actually cook; it might not be to your liking."

"She?" Dagur stiffened. "Who?"

"Hea." Spitelout jumped in. "She's been training for years now but she's never been 'field tested'."

" _Hea_?" The younger man repeated. "You mean the girl? You can't be serious. _And_ she hasn't been 'tested'? How do I know if she can handle this job? She's going to be feeding my armada! I need someone who knows what they're doing!"

"That's all we have." Spitelout added. "It'll do."

"She'd better."

"This goes without mentioning that she might not _want_ to go with you." Gobber hissed, eyes still on him and Spitelout but comment directed to Dagur.

"Ah, that doesn't matter. Just give the word and she'll be on the ship in no time." The young adult threw his hand forward almost as if he were talking about a piece of livestock.

" _Well_ , that's the problem." The blacksmith countered. "See, she's not really a Viking per se, more like a guest…a guest who isn't going home anytime soon. So we can't just order her around."

"Sure you can." The visitor sat up from his seat, laughing along the way.

"We _would_ need her permission." Stoick's eyes followed the male as he stood.

"And what are _you_ going to do if she declines?"

"She won't." Spitelout answered.

"Do you really expect me to take a gamble on this girl when I can't be sure if she can actually cook?" Dagur's voice began to grow loud once again. "On _top_ of the fact that she can reject my offer!"

Obviously feeling fed up with the arguing, Spitelout extended his arms out, "What do you want some kind of _trial run_ with her?"

As the last words of the question hit the Berserker's ear, he fell silent. The look of frustration on his features faded away almost as in an instant while his limbs fell limp. Had he taken that last statement as an insult? Maybe sarcasm was the very last thing he needed before snapping?

"That's it!"

Almost as in the blink of an eye, his expression flipped. From anger to surprise and finally to _excitement_. Dagur's frown turned right side up into a near menacing grin while he clenched his fists at chest-level.

"That's what we'll do!" He announced as he walked around the table, coming closer to the trio. "I will stay here a number of weeks until it can be proven to me that she can cook to my standards!"

"What?" The three spoke at once.

"Yes!" His voice took on a near high-pitched tone. "This way she can grow used to cooking for me _and_ I'll know exactly what I'm getting! What a perfect plan! You have to agree with that!"

After taking a moment to close his hanging jaw, Stoick narrowed his field of vision at the crazed teen in front of him. "And what if she still declines?"

"In _his_ opinion," Dagur gestured toward the man at his right. "She won't."

"But if she does?"

"Ugh!" The redhead's arms lifted. "If she says no, I take your current chef in charge." Dagur's left arm dropped while he used his right to point his index finger at him. "He's a part of your tribe, right? Then he should have no excuse to decline when it's an order from _you_."

Gobber allowed his elbow hit the table and his cheek fell into his open palm. "This is a bad idea."

"You do this for me and I'll sign that treaty."

"We'll talk to her." No matter how his gut was twisting inside, Stoick stood from his chair and looked to his fellow chief with his hand extended. "We _will_ work something out. Today."

Act End.


	7. Act Seven

La Coordination

Act Seven

Whew! The definition of the word 'awkward' now held a completely different meaning. Okay it was official if there was _one moment_ in life that needed to be taken back and erased it was _that_ one. It wasn't helping matters that she was still woozy as hell. At least that was over with; no doubt Stoick would work his magic and get Dagur out of Berk in no time flat! It was just a matter of time!

Rye helped her to her seat on the steps just outside the hall. The moment her backside hit the stone stair, Hea felt herself relax. This was way better than standing up! After becoming comfortable, Bug plopped her chin down on her lap. Aw, was she stressed too?

"Hea," Astrid was first to rush to her side, lowering her torso to her level. "Are you okay? Rye told us you weren't coming out after what happened."

"Nah," The herder backed away just for a second as her cheeks swelled. "I'm good! I wouldn't miss something like this." She proceeded to chuckle as her right hand extend out and landed between her dog's ears.

"You sure you're not feeling sick?" Hiccup arrived at the blonde female's side. "We can't have you out of commission now."

Her bottom lip poked out. "Right. No harm done."

"You shoulda seen the way you looked when you came down!" Snotlout said, wearing a rather inappropriate grin. "You were all limp and gray! Did you die up there?!"

"What do _you_ think?"

"What were you doing riding Belch and Barf?" Fishlegs stepped forward.

Ah, wonderful time to explain her theory and make an even bigger fool of herself. "Well, I thought that since you guys were at the dock that we could survey the area for anything strange, you know?" Hea laughed just under her breath, while moving her free hand to her forehead. "Kinda backfired on me."

"Yeah," Ruffnut added from the back. "You're right about that!"

"Great idea, you almost got us killed up there!" Tuff shot a round of hot air out of his nostrils. "You coulda got us in a ton of trouble!"

A low toned growl from behind her made the sheep herder flinch. She glanced over her shoulder to see Rye with both of her hands clenched at her chest. Her dark brows had fallen over her eyes and her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Oh geez, she wasn't mad was she?

"You two!" Before anyone could move, the older sister blasted her way toward the twins, fists ready for what seemed to be _anything_. "When all of this is over, I'm going to rip your heads off! You are in such deep shit right now! And that's just when _I_ get through with you, wait until I talk to Stoick!"

"Ey!" The two jumped side by side. "We're just the guys with the dragon, remember?!" Ruffnut was first of the duo to flash her palms outward in defense. "It's not _our_ fault, it was _her_ idea!"

"Not in the face!" Tuffnut ducked.

"But you're the ones who shot into the sky like a couple of explosives! You _know_ she gets sick!"

Fishlegs made a quick and mad dash for the oldest female and stood in her way. He reached out to the brunette and placed his hands on her shoulders, stopping her mid-step. "Whoa!"

"Come on Rye," Snotlout came in second, standing just beyond the larger blond guard. "It's not a big deal."

"They almost KILLED my sister!" Rye shouted, taking a moment to push Fishlegs' hands off her shoulders. "It IS a big deal!"

Ugh, while this was absolutely necessary, because the two deserved every swear word and threat possible, her head was throbbing way too much for this right now. Hea lifted her head, her eyes locking with her sister's. "Rye, I'm fine, just got a headache. Tear them apart later when my head isn't splitting."

Fishlegs turned to her with a look of utter horror. "Don't say that!"

She pouted, "Why not? They deserve it." Especially after all the comments about her 'chesthams'.

"Come on," Astrid straightened out her back once again, turning to her peers. "We have other things we need to worry about right now."

"Agreed." Hiccup added. "The fate of Tuffnut and Ruffnut's severed heads will have to be resolved some other time."

Snotlout made a clear effort to groan loud enough to turn eyes his way. "What's to worry about?"

"Uh, maybe the fact that Dagur is here and he just might kill our dragons again." The group's matriarch moved her right hand to her hip. "He's already threatened us; we have to think of a plan to defend ourselves."

"Why? My dad, Stoick and Gobber are talking to Dagur right now, they'll fix everything! There's no point in planning anything. Instead, let's think of something _fun_ to do."

"No, Astrid's right." The original dragon trainer stood by the strong blonde female. "We need to expect the worst, especially from Dagur. He's never given us a reason to trust him, so need a backup plan."

"You guys are paranoid!" The shortest member of the group rolled his eyes.

"Is it even that big of a deal to strategize a defense, say if he does go crazy and sets the village on fire?" Astrid hissed, her voice becoming a tad louder and harsher.

Wow, this conversation shifted pretty fast. What the heck? She _hated_ to agree with Snot but things didn't seem _too_ bad at the moment, why were they so worried? If anything Dagur was just socially unacceptable, he didn't seem dangerous. But if half of the stories and firsthand accounts she'd heard from Rye and Gobber about his last visit, then they should be apprehensive. Hm, maybe having a trump card in place wasn't such a bad thing anyway.

Hea looked back, watching as her older sister took a seat on the second step above her. Rye placed her left elbow on her respective knee and dropped her cheek into her open hand. Was she tired or just stressed out in general? Probably stressed seeing as everything was moving around so fast. Dropping the bomb of Dagur's visit on her at the last second had her heart racing no doubt. Poor thing.

"We have no idea if this 'meeting' is just a distraction from a real attack." Astrid continued on, her tone returning to its normal smooth depth. "We have to be on guard."

"If he came here with the idea of making a peace treaty, I think he might be being honest." Hea spoke from her spot on the stairs. "We should give him a chance."

"Yeah, you only say that because you weren't _here_ the last time he was here." Tuffnut grunted.

"He made it pretty clear he was coming after Toothless." A frown deep set on Hiccup's face. "When he found out we had been lying he snapped pretty much. I wouldn't doubt if this didn't end well."

What was _that_ supposed to mean?! "Hey!" She snapped back, angry tone grabbing all eyes and ears. "I'd be mad too if you were lying to me! In fact, I _was_ mad when I got home and saw all _this_." Hea gestured, moving her arm out in the direction of the dragons. "It's hard. It's really hard to come home and have _everything_ you ever known and believed in flip upside down. One day dragons are evil, terrible monsters and the next…" Her head dropped. "It's all different."

Silence. What were they thinking? Were they mad? Surprised maybe. But it was all true, at least for her it was at one point. Sure, things were much different now than they were one year ago but that didn't mean her past feelings _vanished_. Changed yeah, but they were still there.

"You guys gave dragons a chance. Even when we thought they were monsters." Her head lifted, only to see the group of riders looking back at her as if she'd spat in the face. "We should give him a shot too."

"Yeah," Ruffnut narrowed her eyes. "That's not gonna happen."

"While you have some valid points, we still can't risk being open to an attack." Astrid's baby blue's darted away from her. "We're 'giving him a shot' by letting him on the island. Isn't that enough for you?"

"For me?" Hea's cheek twitched as her index finger poked into her chest. "What's that about? I didn't say a backup plan was a _bad_ idea! I'm just saying for village of 'changed Vikings' you guys are being really judgmental."

"And _you're_ gonna give _us_ lessons on being judgmental?" The male twin took a step forward, now wearing a scowl she hadn't seen in months, a _real_ scowl.

Ooooooh no. He was _not_ going there. Wasn't she allowed to make mistakes?! It was pretty common knowledge at the time she left that dragons were _not_ to be trusted. So why were they surprised when she got home, especially after the history she'd had with the fire-breathing beasts! Now they were gonna throw it in _her_ face that she was being judgmental at that time?! No way!

"I apparently _learned_ my lesson." She hissed, head ducking into her shoulders. "I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Once again silence filled the area, all until the sound of a small sigh caught the sheep herder's ear. She glanced over her shoulder to see her sister looking confused. Rye's eyes were glued to the floor as her right hand stroked Phobos' back. What was she worried about, what she said? Sure it was a golden rule of Rye's not to give anyone 'the benefit of the doubt' but this was different. They'd all done that at some point, right? If they hadn't, dragons would not be considered pets on Berk.

"I just wish you had been there last time, Hea."

The echo of her name on his tongue made her flinch. Whirling back around, she saw Hiccup standing with both fists clenched and features tightening. What was he feeling? Had she given him something to think about or was he just worried about her state of mind? Either was possible. But why was her head telling her that he disagreed with her in the end?

 _I wasn't and I'm sorry for that._

"We can't argue about this." From the back of the group, Rye spoke out. Her pitch just above a whisper and apparent strain in her voice. "If we're fighting with each other and something really bad does happen, we don't stand a chance."

"I agree with Rye." Fishlegs gave a shallow nod of his head. "Dagur might be expecting us to fight about this and take advantage of it when we're not looking."

Did all of her speech _really_ go in one ear and right out the other? Ugh! There was no getting through to Vikings. Even if that included the one she adored above everyone else. After all, wasn't he the one to teach her that everyone deserved a second chance?

"Fine." Hea clenched her jaw, turning away from everyone in the group. "You do what you do best and I'll do what I know is right. Like always."

Before anyone could say anything more, the sound of the great hall's doors opening caught their attention. Everyone at once gazed up to the top of the stone stairs to see the three older Viking veterans and the single Berserker leader. While the youngest of the group stood strong and with what appeared to be a lot of confidence, the three older men stood almost like they were uneasy. What happened back there?

"We have reached a decision!" Dagur allowed, throwing both muscular arms into the air.

Okay, if they _had_ reached a decision why was he telling them first? Shouldn't an announcement like this be said in front of every member of the tribe and village?

"What's the good word?" Hiccup approached the stone stairs.

"In order to reach an agreement we had to compromise, both of us." Stoick stepped beside Dagur and looked right at his son. "In order to keep the peace between our tribes, we have agreed to let Dagur to have his domestic worker."

" _What_?" Hiccup's jaw dropped open.

"Only as long as this person agrees." The leader finished.

"And what if he say's 'no'?!" Snotlout rushed to stand next to his cousin. "Then the whole thing's off?!"

"No, not necessarily." Spitelout crossed his arms over his chest. "Either way, it will work out. But so long as this person agrees, we won't have a problem."

Stoick jerked his chin over his right shoulder, shooting a harsh and fierce glare toward Snot's dad. What was _that_ about? Had they disagreed about something back in the hall or what?

"Dagur needs a cook for his armada." Stoick carried on, regardless of the silent panic that was running ramped through the teens. "So, as long as she agrees to it, we have chosen Hea to go with him."

Wha… _what_?! No, no, no fucking way! She couldn't have heard this right, there had to be something wrong with her hearing. The words 'Hea', 'go' and 'with him' did _not_ come out of his, the _leader's_ mouth! There had to be someone else that could go, someone else who wasn't busy who could take on this task! Could no one else _cook_ on this damn island?! Why her?! She wasn't even a part of this tribe; there was no way he could force her to do this. She wouldn't, couldn't! This wasn't happening, this was a dream, she was still sleeping. That fainting spell had to have knocked a few screws out of her head!

"No!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Rye jumped to her feet.

"She's not going! You aren't separating us!" Her voice did not shake, it didn't seem like it was going to break, it was just solid, heavy and loud. "Hea has a duty here, you aren't sending her off!"

"Dad, we can't do that." Hiccup proceeded to climb a step or two, coming to level with Rye.

"We don't have much of a choice," Spitelout spoke for the village chief. "We have to make a decision; we have to get his peace treaty signed."

"Just because that piece of paper is signed doesn't mean we're safe!" Astrid barked, hands clenched at her sides. "We can't trust them, what's stopping them from taking Hea as a hostage!"

 _This isn't happening, this isn't happening. I can't go with them! I can't!_

Hea pulled her eyes away from the Vikings and looked to the floor. She lifted her right hand to her face and placed her palm on her forehead. No fever, not even a drop of sweat, so what was going on? If she wasn't sick and she wasn't dehydrated why was her mouth so dry? Her fingertips traced down her cheeks, her digits just barely tapping at her lips. Was this shock? Or maybe even a silent panic attack? Could panic attacks _be_ silent?!

Her gut twisted, turned and soured in a way she hadn't felt ever before. It was like her intestines were cramping and swelling all at the same time, all the while a round of acid dumped into her empty stomach. How could she feel nauseous now, even when there was nothing in her belly to throw up?

Okay so she said she wanted to give Dagur the benefit of the doubt but that did _not_ mean that she was willing to leave with him! What the hell, where they listening to their conversation or something? So the price of her being as nice as possible was this slap in the face? No! There was no way she was gonna go through with this!

"I'm not going to kidnap and hold my own cooking slave hostage." Dagur's voice brought Hea's attention back to reality. "That's just…unproductive."

"Did you just say ' _cooking slave'_?" Ruffnut leaned forward, her lip curled. "Did anyone else hear him say, ' _slave_ ' or was that just me?"

"No!" Rye's voice made her flinch. "How _could_ you think about doing this?" She asked, directing her question toward Gobber.

"I'm completely against this, Rye." He gave the smaller woman a look of sympathy she'd never seen in any Viking, other than Hiccup, before.

"Come on, isn't there anyone better than Hea?" Snotlout said from the back. "When I said unimportant…I kinda meant…like _no one_."

"It's either Hea or Ingerman." The boy's father's voice followed soon after his son's. "If Hea rejects the offer, we have to have our chef go. Because she isn't a part of our tribe, we need her permission first but if it comes to it, we might have to order Ingerman to go."

"My dad?" Fishlegs' high pitched voice sent goosebumps down her arms.

"It's worth getting the treaty signed." Stoick inhaled a deep breath through his nose. "We're compromising and so will the Berserkers. If not? Then we'll have the advantage in war."

"So, you're just planning to back up my sister and ship her out today?!" Rye's voice broke just for a second as she called out.

"Nope." Dagur shook his head. "See, I don't know if your sister is actually good at cooking. _So_ , I made reservations to stay here in Berk for a number of weeks to test her skills. You'll have a good month or two to say good bye. Willing that she's as good as Spitelout here says."

Tuffnut's arm extended as well as his index finger. "You? You're gonna stay _here_ even longer?"

"That's right."

"But this is all if Hea agrees." Hiccup turned to her and for a brief moment, locked stares with her. "Hea?"

Her eyes moved to the ground. This was all…happening so fast. She was supposed to make a decision right here, right now? How could they expect her to do that? By the way her crush had been staring at her; it was like he expected her to refuse the offer. And she agreed one hundred percent. She didn't _want_ to do this…but.

" _You_ do _want peace, don't you?"_

" _Because I would both love_ and _hate to destroy all the dragons you care so much for."_

There was Toothless, Phobos…hell, even Stormfly. Her eyes shut tight.

 _Toothless…_

" _You didn't have to help me today, not after the way I've treated you. I'm guess what I'm trying to say is… thank you. Thank you for saving me today because you didn't need to."_

Her eyes fluttered open. Without any trouble, she found the small black dragon. He sat in the back alongside the other rider's partners. He didn't look sad, mad, happy or even confused. Instead he sat with his ears erect and eyes wide open. The moment their eyes locked his head tilted to the side in the slightest manner. What was _he_ thinking?

" _I'm sorry Toothless. I'm so sorry I hit you at the party. I was scared but that was no excuse. I didn't understand you or_ anything _at that point and I apologize."_

He was a stupid animal, a completely ridiculous reptile that served _her_ no purpose. It flew, ate, shit and took up space just like any other creature so what made _it_ so special? Okay so it was cute…a lot cuter than any other dragon she'd seen before, especially when it/he was being sweet but that didn't mean anything! Bug was cute too!

" _You don't mind if I talk to you, do you? I know it's stupid. Just don't go around tellin' everyone else we spoke, it'll look weird."_

But if all that was true, why did she have to remind herself, convince herself of it all? And if she actually believed that the Night Fury staring back at her was 'just another animal' then why did her heart sink and crack at the thought of never seeing him again? If one of the sheep she watched over was slaughtered tomorrow without reason or just for entertainment, then she'd cry. And while sheep were sheep, livestock that was maintained and bred for food and clothing, that didn't make them any less worthy of life. _He'd_ taught her that.

Every animal deserved a fighting chance. And if it came to having to kill something for food, every bit that was useable was used. That's how things were and the way it should be. _He'd_ said that too. It took her a long time to come to terms with it but in the end, _he_ was right. _He'd_ always been right.

Phobos, Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf and Belch all deserved a chance. Toothless deserved a chance. They were worth protecting, even if it meant leaving Berk.

Besides, she'd said it herself. She was going to do what she knew was right. They might not like it or agree with it but it was the right thing to do. If anyone else had been chosen for this, they'd do the same thing anyway.

Hea moved her vision away from the curious Night Fury and looked back to the one face that made her heart melt, even when he was mad or upset with her. Hiccup hadn't moved much, his gorgeous green eyes still locked on her. But by this time he had begun to tighten his features, brows furrowing on his forehead and head shaking in a motion so gentle, she was sure that no one else had noticed.

"I'll do it."

The moment her words translated in his brain his expression fell. No longer sending her near invisible messages to refuse, he took a step off the stairs he was in the middle of climbing when the decision came to light. His shoulders straightened, lips parted and once wrinkled eyebrows, lifted. His arms hit his sides and she could _hear it_ ; the sound of his skin hitting the fabric of his clothes almost _hurt_.

 _Don't be a hypocrite; you would've given the same answer._

"Hea, you can't."

 _Don't do this to me. Don't make me change my mind, you idiot._

Damn. He took another step closer to her, closing the distance like that would somehow change her mind. At this point, her eyes strayed to see everyone else frozen. Why wasn't anyone else talking? The world hadn't stopped, not just for the two of them. Were they all in shock, were they all just listening or was it just that this moment between them breaking every logical law of time?

"You don't have to do this. We can work something else out."

 _Shut up! Just quit talking! I don't need your input to make a decision!_

"No," She spoke in a soft tone, even if the voice in her head was screaming. "I'm doing this. I want to."

"What do you mean you _want to_?" Astrid spun around, looking at her as if _she_ were angry about something. Maybe it was her way of coping? "You can't honestly _want to_. Don't do this just for our sake!"

 _It's not for_ your _sake. It's for his._ Her eyes moved back to the black dragon, who was still looking at her. "I don't have to justify myself to you or anyone." Hea's attention flickered back to the riders. "I'm doing this."

"Are you insane?!" She flinched as her sister yelled just behind her. "Do you realize you're leaving me _again_?!

If leaving Hiccup was gonna be this hard already then how difficult was it going to be when it was time to leave Rye? But if she was going to do this for Toothless, she was going to do this for Phobos too. Even if the stupid Terror was more of a waste of scales than anything. At the end of the day, the fact that she loved that lizard was the very reason she was doing this. While dealing with Hiccup was something new, she knew exactly how to deal with her older sis.

"You heard the boss-man." Hea turned over her shoulder, looking at her kin with a set of pathetic eyes. "It's not gonna be for a while now. You just have to put up with me for another few weeks then you're free!"

Humor was always a nice way to deal with things, even if it was pretty inappropriate.

"I don't care!" Rye's louder shout made the whole area flinch. "I'm not letting you go, not again! Not for _this_!"

" _She's your older sister, her duty is to take care of you whether she's afraid or not. So how do you think she felt when after she was better that you just packed up and left? She must have felt_ worthless _."_

"Then come with me." Hea turned forward again, this time gathering what strength she had left in her legs to stand up. She then lifted her chin and looked to her future leader. "Dagur, can she come with me?"

The Berserker shifted as he stood, as if her question had caught him off guard. A moment later he crossed his arms over his chest. "Gah, fine whatever. If she's useful for something, I guess? But if it gets this treaty going, deal."

The former sheep herder turned to her sibling, flashing her most stupid grin. "How about it? Up for this? You can come, if that's what you want. But I have to go either way." The cheesy smile faded. "I'm sorry."

"I…" Rye hesitated, both with her words and physically. "Hea, I don't know. You…"

"Come on." She _felt_ like smiling on the inside but her lips stayed horizontal. "It'll be fun."

"I really don't know. I can't just decide that right now. I need to think about it." The four-eyed female grimaced. "What about Phobos? I can't just…I don't know."

"Can we all work out the details later?" Dagur moved down the stairs, in complete confidence with no sense of remorse or guilt. "If I am going to stay here, I need a room. Preferably one to call my own that is up to code."

"So, we're just gonna change the subject then?" Tuffnut finally spoke, his familiar voice and tone actually soothing her eardrum for once.

"Yes," Hea cleared her throat. "Let's move this thing forward. Deal's done."

"Good!" Her new boss arrived at her side, his hands now behind his back. "Oh, and I don't want any _funny business_." He turned to her in particular and narrowed his eyes. "Got it?"

"Yep."

"So do we like…" Snotlout lifted his arm only to pause seconds into talking. "…What just happened?"

"Yeah," Ruffnut responded. "I have no idea what I just saw."

As much as she wanted to scream/laugh/slap the speaking male and female, she resisted and walked past them without exchanging any words. If she stayed around to talk about this any longer who knows what would happen. She did not need to be convinced to change her mind now, not when this was all still so fresh. At this point almost anything was gonna persuade her otherwise.

If she could focus on the new housing arrangement for the time being, the idea of everything changing wouldn't be so foreign. It was just gonna take some time.

Act End.


	8. Act Eight

La Coordination

Act Eight

"Yes, this'll do. I can work with this."

Hea rolled her eyes, what was this all about? It was bad enough that he was taking her back with him in a few weeks but take her house too? Ugh, talk about a bad day. Even if it did still feel surreal, this was happening and happening _now_.

She watched as Dagur moved about her home, the kitchen in particular, looking in every corner and cabinet. Was he like…looking for something? Hell if she knew. Everything she ever stood for and understood had been juggled up within a twenty-four month period anyway, the whole world could have flipped upside down and inside out and she wouldn't know the difference anyway. Whatever he was doing, it didn't matter, just as long as everything went smoothly from here on out.

The pitter-patter of nails on the hardwood floor echoed and a young puffy canine followed soon after. Bug brushed against her legs as she bypassed the living space and moved into the kitchen. She slipped by Dagur without notice and headed for the bedroom, no doubt to drop for a nap.

"So he's taking the house too?" Rye asked at her side. "Wonderful."

"Looks like it."

"And where the hell are we supposed to go?" The older female looked to her, no doubt still fuming about moments passed. "Gobber is the only person I can think of right now."

"If it comes to that, it does." Hea managed to flash a smile. "You'd like it that way anyway."

"Psh, quiet."

"If you want, I'll stay with someone else so you two can have some alone time." The short-haired female pursed out both lips, resisting the urge to poke her sister with her elbow.

Rye's brows furrowed, the elder sibling taking full advantage of shoving her elbow into her upper arm. "We have more than enough alone time together! We're just really good and hiding it from everyone else."

"Ugh, gross."

"Are you gonna let him just take your house?" The unforgettable sound of Snotlout's voice made both sisters stop mid-sentence and look backward.

As the chef turned she saw that the rest of the teen Viking crew had made their way into her home, standing just behind herself and Rye. What the? What were _they_ doing here? It wasn't like this was any of their business; this was between her and Dagur! She didn't need the whole neighborhood in her living space, making snide comments.

"Where else is he supposed to stay?" Rye answered right off the bat. "We can't just build him a new house overnight and I don't think he's gonna settle for anything less than this."

"But that's…like wrong." Ruffnut grimaced.

"What are all of you doing here anyway?" Hea snapped, her lip curling. "I was pretty sure you guys disagreed with my decision in the first place, so why are you butting into my business?"

"Whoa," Astrid's hands shot up to her chest. "Hea, relax. We don't agree with anything you're doing but we still want to be supportive."

"Oh yeah," Her brown eyes rolled. "Because you all were so supportive in the first place. I don't need your support, I can do this myself."

"Geez, who spit in your oatmeal?" Tuffnut grumped from the back.

 _You did asshole._

"Is Gobber and the rest outside?" Rye asked, her question directed at none in particular.

"Yeah," Fishlegs replied. "They looked like they were still talking about stuff. Maybe they're gonna change their minds or something."

The sound of a cabinet door slamming shut stopped the oldest female from answering the younger male's reply and gathered everyone's interest. Hea looked forward with her sister once again to see Dagur moving on to another kitchen cupboard. Huh, did he slam the last one because he wasn't getting any attention or something? He couldn't be that childish, right?

"So hey, Dagur." The future 'cooking slave' called out to her superior. "You looking for something? Can I…you know, get you some…thing? Like whatever it is you're looking for?"

"This place has to be up to my standards." He answered, not bothering to stop to look at her. "You shouldn't have a problem if you don't have anything to hide."

Her expression dropped. "What could I be hiding?"

"You know, I'm not too sure about you types anymore." He retorted, slamming cabinet number three. "I wasn't expecting that you were hiding dragons _last time_. Who KNOWS what I could find this time."

She shifted her weight to her right leg and placed her left hand to her waist. "I don't own one. Rye has _one_ but I don't like dragons, so I wouldn't hide one."

He froze. Hands still grasping to the wooden cupboard door, he stopped and turned to the group for the first time since entering the house. "You don't like dragons?" He asked, looking at her almost like was shocked at the new information.

"No." She pouted, "I hate dragons."

He didn't respond. Instead he continued to stare at her like she was some kind of freak of nature. What, just because she lived on Berk she was supposed to have or even like dragons? Then again he had only been a 'once in a while visitor' to the island when Oswald was around to sign the peace treaty. So he wouldn't know anything about her distaste for the reptiles, would he? Huh, interesting thought and no doubt a surprise for him.

The awkward moment only began to lift when Dagur's stiff posture eased. His right hand slid down the cabinet door several inches while his right eyebrow lifted. What was he thinking? Kinda hard to tell since he was pretty looney. The boy could be happy one moment and screaming the next. Maybe he was offended or something? Whatever.

He cleared his throat and returned to his business. "We'll see about that."

 _Ah, so we're gonna play the 'I don't believe you' and or the 'I have to sees it for myself' game are we?_

Shit, whatever he wanted to play, she was game. She knew those rules, fuck; she might as well have _made_ those damn rules. If he thought this was a shock for him, finding out about the dragons, he was gonna get an even _bigger_ surprise living with them! It wasn't easy when she did it and it wasn't gonna be easy when he was doing it.

"Hea?"

A whisper and tap to her right arm made her flinch. Turning her chin away from the man rummaging through her things, she looked to the side to see Hiccup standing next to her. All of her nerves and hairs stood on end upon realizing that his fingers had wrapped around her arm. Why did his touch have to feel like a bolt of lightning shooting through her bones? Ugh, had she looked down to see it was someone else touching her, it wouldn't have felt like _anything_. But him? Damn him.

"You don't have to do this." He said just under his breath, probably so the big cheese wouldn't over hear him. "We can stop this. We'll work something else out."

"What are you worried about?" She asked, her heart slamming in her chest hard enough to make her feel faint again. "Everything's fine. I've already made up my mind, I want to do this."

"Hea…" His features tightened.

"I'll take it!"

A fourth and final slamming made the young adults stiffen. Regardless of any thought or conversation taking place, everyone in the area turned to look at the Berserker as he walked back into the living space with his arms open and smile on his face.

"Alright, fine." Hea nodded, Hiccup still attached to her right arm. "Deal done, can we move on?"

"We'll gather my bags and I'll settle in." He brought his hands together, fingers interlocking.

" _We_?" Tuffnut repeated.

" _We, they, them_ ; whatever you call servants nowadays." Dagur responded, shrugging his bulky shoulders.

"So, you're talking about the ' _royal they'_?" Ruffnut piped up, no doubt standing right beside her brother.

"Wait, just how many bags do you have?" Astrid cut in, bypassing most of the group and standing just beside Hiccup. "You have luggage? Even though you're only squatting here for a few weeks?"

The deranged man's arms dropped with an eerie echo. He proceeded forward until he was a foot or so in front of the blonde female. He bent down in the slightest matter until he was nose to nose with his offender. "Berserkers do not _squat_." He said, voice becoming dark and heavy. "We turtle."

"Oookaaaay."

"Anyway," He stood up straight once again and moved back into the kitchen. "We still need to discuss where _you_ will be sleeping."

Rye inched closer to the baker, "We'll probably house-hop for a night or two but we'll end up staying with Gobber most likely."

"No, no, no, no!" Dagur shook his head from side to side, his voice becoming louder with each impending 'no'. "That's where _you'll_ be staying. I'm talking to Hea." He ended his statement with his finger pointed at _her_.

" _What_?" Rye broke away from the group, taking a single step forward. "What are you _talking_ about? I thought you were gonna just take the house! Not Hea too!"

The short-haired girl stopped, her body becoming ridged. What was this about?! He didn't really expect her to stay in the house alone with him, did he?! In what world was that okay? Ugh, didn't Vikings know _anything_ about boundaries? Hell, she knew _of_ him and talked to him when he did visit every other year but that did _not_ mean she was ready to live with the guy!

 _Gah, but you_ did _already agree to this. Dummy._

"Do you expect me to have my cooking servant bounce from house to house every time I get hungry?" He argued, arm now retracted to his side. "It's a waste of time and energy, energy she could be using to make my meals! Oh, and I will not be eating cold food." He frowned.

"No!" Her older sister continued to protest. "And why can't I be allowed in the house?! This _is_ my home."

"As I recall, you didn't make up your mind on whether you were going to come with or not." He barked back quicker than expected. "Unless you _do_ want to make a decision in the next twelve seconds, then you can stay here. _Maybe_."

Rye spun to her left, her eyes locking with chef. "This is crazy, we can't let this happen. He's not going to force me into making a choice right now. Hea, you can't do this."

With a heavy sigh, she allowed her left hand to detach from her belt and drop to her side. "It's fine, we'll do it. It's not that big of a deal, we'll work this out. Come on."

"It's not fine." Her older sister's features fell. "If this _is_ my last few months with you then I'm not even going to be able to spend them with you."

"I'm still gonna be around," Hea felt her shoulders slump. "Rye, please. For right now can you do this for me? I promise everything's gonna work out, okay?"

The four-eyed nurse exhaled through her nose and shut her brown eyes darted away. She gripped her hands her into fists at her sides and for the shortest moment clenched her jaw and grimaced. Was she taking in all that she'd just been told? Was she scared, mad, sad or a mixture of everything combined? After taking the time to relax her nerves, she reopened her eyes and relaxed her body.

"Alright. I'll do this."

"Thank you." Hea smirked and proceeded to jerk her bent elbow into her sis's arm.

"Are we done talking about our feelings yet?"

"Yeah," The former sheep herder looked back to her boss, smile now faded. "You go in the bedroom and pick out which bed you want. I'll go from there, okay?"

"Psh, fine, whatever." With a childish pout and groan, he whirled around and stepped away from the group of Vikings in the living space.

"This is getting really weird…and creepy." Ruffnut said with an obvious shudder in her tone.

"Are you really gonna let this guy in your _house_?" Snotlout appeared between the sisters. "That has to be against some kind of moral code."

Hea rolled her eyes once again. "It isn't a big deal. He's not gonna be living with _you_ , so relax."

"But it doesn't bother you?" Astrid poked out from beyond the original rider, who was still latched to her arm. "Be honest."

"What does it matter if it bothers me or not!" She snapped, body tensing. "I'm doing this no matter what. And I have been honest, this whole time!"

"Hea," The sound of Hiccup's deep voice made her heart thump. "How can you trust that he's not going to try and hurt you? He is bigger and stronger than most of us."

Ugh, why did he have to be sweet? Sure, they were all being sweet to a point but it was just extra nice when _he_ was doing it. Biased, maybe but there was no arguing with her _emotions_ at this point. "Hey, if he does anything stupid I'll put him in his place." She answered, making sure to display a confident grin. "If there's one thing I know how to do, its fight with people."

The look of concern on his adorable face fell away. Maybe he was getting ready to be sarcastic with her? Either way he shot her a look she couldn't really put a name to. "I hate to shoot down and destroy your unrealistic and overtly cocky point of view but…" He exhaled, green eyes darting to the floor. "They call him _deranged_ for a reason."

"I got this." She wiggled her arm beneath his touch and shot him a wink.

 _Remember what you're fighting for. You're fighting for him, all of them._

"I still think this is a terrible idea." Fishlegs spoke from the back of the group.

"This is gonna end in tears." Tuffnut added without any kind of respectful hesitation. "I call it."

"Everything's fine! If anything bad happens, Snot lives pretty close, he'll come and save me." Hea glanced over her shoulder and presented her self-assured smirk to the teens in the back.

"Wonderful." Rye lifted her hand to her forehead.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Snotlout moved close to the oldest woman. "I'm really good at saving people! How many times have I saved this village! Come on; name _one time_ I haven't defended Berk!"

An instant chatter among the crew in the room ensued, words all melting into a single tone. Ugh, her hearing was bad enough it wasn't like she could tell who was saying what. Ah well, as long as they weren't on her ass about the whole situation, it was fine. Besides, enjoying these kinds of moments together was going to be important especially given if everything Dagur wanted went his way.

Among all the talk and arguments a gentle pressure on her arm caught her focus. Turning away from the others she'd become so close with, she looked to her right to see Hiccup. Her eyes darted down, landing on his hand, the hand that had taken hold of her arm. He squeezed her in the most gentle way possible and kept his eyes on her the entire time. What was this supposed to mean? Was he trying to get her attention solo while everyone else in the room was busy or something?

He didn't appear sad, mad, happy or _anything_ for that matter. It was just Hiccup. Just as it had always been, as it always would be. He could see through her white lie, she knew it and _he_ knew she knew it. This had nothing to do with 'wanting' it had to do with Toothless, Phobos, Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf and Belch. And he knew that because he would have done the same, if he'd been in her place. He wasn't stupid, she knew that. She loved him for that.

"What is this thing doing in _my_ bed?"

Just as Hiccup's hand fell away from her body, the sound of Dagur's voice made the room silent once again. Looking forward she saw the leader of the Berserker tribe with his arms extended. In his hands he held out a round ball of blonde fur. Bug didn't seem too troubled between his fingers; instead the moment her almond-shaped eyes landed on Hiccup, she perked up and her stub of a tail began to wag.

"That's my daughter." Hea smiled, stepping toward the muscular man and removing the pup from his custody. "Bug."

"Daughter?" He physically moved back. "That's a fuzzy, overgrown _rat_."

"Yeah sometimes she can be." The human 'mother' lifted her right hand and patted the dog between her ears. "But she's mine."

"It smells." He frowned.

"She's a dog, of course she smells." Hea glanced upward once again, this time copying his frown twice over. "And she's a _she_ , not an _it._ "

"I don't care what it is; it's not allowed to stay here when I'm here." Dagur grunted, moving both of his hands to his waist.

Oh no! He didn't just say that! If there was one thing she wasn't going to do it was abandon her daughter! Her dark eyebrows dipped over her large eyes while her upper lip twitched in utter disgust. " _She_ is staying here and _she_ is coming with us when we leave. Like it or not, _got it_?"

His eyes narrowed. "Are you giving me an order? Because," He leaned into her just as he had with Astrid minutes earlier. "If you are, you better be able to back it up. That _thing_ is not coming on my flagship. _Got it_?"

Damn, why did he have to be so scary?! Was it his voice or massive size? Ugh or more than anything it was probably the way he seemed so confident in everything he said and did. If he had anything thing going for him, it was the way he flawlessly intimidated _everyone_.

But what was she supposed to do? Above everyone else, including Toothless and the rest of the dragons, Bug was her number one priority. Bug had been there through thick and thin and never once had she argued, hurt her feelings or abandoned her. The whole island of Berk could come crashing down around her ankles and her dog would _still_ be number one. As long as she had her furry daughter and human sister at her side, no one else mattered, everyone else could be replaced but family was different in every way. Including this one.

"If I'm gonna come with you, Bug is too." She dipped her head down, eyes still casting a dirty and dark look his way. "I'm willing to fight for it. I'll do anything else you want; cook, clean, whatever but _only if_ Bug comes with." Her hands quivered beneath the safety of the dog's coarse coat.

His narrowed stare lasted only a few seconds longer after she spoke. He stood up straight again and moved both of his arms to the small of his back. His crimson brows arched to the top of his forehead while his lips remained straight. "We'll argue about this later. Until then, _we're_ going to get my bags and _we're_ going to unpack."

"I'll meet you there." Hea continued to tremble as he passed by her and the rest of the Viking group.

"Don't keep me waiting."

The urge to say something witty and sarcastic teased the back of her throat. Too bad her nerves were way too rattled to say anything at this point. Ah well, there'd be time for that later, especially if he was going to be staying with her. He'd get used to it, maybe. And if she were lucky enough, her bossiness and crude view on life would scare him off Berk for good. Ah, but that was pretty unlikely, seeing as he was twice as _bossy_ and _crude_ as she was! Two peas in a pod maybe? Or potential best friends in the making?

 _No way._

As she turned to watch the Berserker leave her home, she saw the rest of the teens file out along with him. Might as well get started, the sooner the better. Shit, how many bags could a single _man_ have anyway? With ample space now, she bent down and placed the ball of fuzz on the floor. After standing straight, she made her way to the front door and stepped out into the daylight. Well, the group was one less crazed male less now. Hea looked on to see said man in the distance, probably making his way to his ship to wait for her.

"Anything new?" Stoick's husky voice caught her attention.

"Other than that freak taking my house and sister? No." Rye huffed, crossing her arms over her bust. "Hey Gobber," She paused only to look in the blacksmith's direction. "Do you mind if I stay at your house for a while?"

"I'd like to say yes but my shack ain't quite neat enough for a lady." He frowned like he was honestly feeling bad about refusing the nurse. "Gimmie a night or two to clean up and you'll have the best bed in the house."

"Shit." Rolling her beautiful brown eyes, Rye shifted her weight to her left leg. "Now what am I gonna do?"

"Oh!" Snotlout nearly leapt at the chance, throwing his right arm in the air. "You can stay at my place! Like Hea said, it's really close and we can share the basement." He added, throwing her a rather frisky smirk.

UGH! The younger sister looked on to see her bestie's face twist. Almost like she was trying to keep herself from gagging out loud and still be polite at the same time. Her frown grew deeper while her skin turned pale. Haha, awwww.

"I think that's an excellent idea," Spitelout joined in, making the oldest female twinge. "We would love to have you. When was the last time we had a nice chat, Rye? It'd be good to catch up."

Oh lord, what did _that_ mean? Just because Snot had a thing for Rye, and pretty much any other attractive girl within ten feet, didn't mean his dad had to be that _friendly_ too! Gross! He wasn't…no, ew no. And she thought _her_ situation was bad, poor Rye!

 _I'd take a month with Dagur the Deranged any day…or month…whatever._

"I mean…I guess I could?" Rye's head ducked between her shoulders, eyes moving and landing on everything and anything that wasn't Snot or his weird dad.

"Good." Spite _smiled_.

"So we're just going with all of this?" Astrid said, moving her slender arms over her chest. "This doesn't sound really suspicious to _anyone_ but me?"

Stoick turned his focus to the blonde beauty, "There isn't much else we can do at the moment."

"We have to just watch him." Fishlegs released a tired sigh. Hey wait, what the hell was _he_ tired from?!

Gah, again with the suspension? This conversation already happened once! Going through it again wasn't something she wanted to do again. Hell, if her head wasn't slamming to the point of being torn in half, then she'd say something for sure. Damn being tired takes the fun out of everything.

"Has anyone else _but_ me thought about poisoning him during dinner?" Tuffnut's comment made the chef shut her eyes for a solid two seconds.

"Aw man, I thought that too!" His sister turned to him with a little too much enthusiasm. "He won't even expect it, we can do that easy."

"What?" Hiccup leaned into the twins as they plotted. "No, no. That's a terrible plan."

"Is it?" The male sibling pouted. "If he does happen to 'kick the bucket' while he's here the rest of his tribe would be none the wiser. Problem solved."

"Wait, did you just suggest _homicide_? And you _aren't_ joking?" Astrid's arms unfolded.

"Maybe we did." Ruffnut stood strong beside her conspirer. "And maybe we didn't."

"And what are you two going to do when his armada comes here looking for him when he doesn't return home?" Rye narrowed her already tired eyes at the brother-sister criminal duo.

"It'd be all out war!" Fishlegs plead.

"We aren't going to kill Dagur." Stoick grunted, shaking his head from side to side in what seemed like disappointment. "Unless he tries to attack us first, we aren't resorting to violence."

"Okay, okay," Tuffnut lifted his arms, as if to 'calm down' the conversation. "I get the whole murder thing is somehow wrong but how about something else?"

"Like what?" Snot asked.

"You know like Hea cooks really bad meals for him every day." The female twin finished for her bro like they had both discussed this scenario out before. "There's no way he'll want her as a personal chef if she stinks at cooking."

And was that _not_ supposed to be offensive? Then again if they were suggesting that she pretends to be bad at making meals maybe it was a backhanded compliment, meaning that she _was_ talented but she should just _lie_ about it.

 _This is getting worse and worse._

"Actually, it isn't a bad idea." Gobber lifted his right hand to his chin. "We could go with it."

Wonderful and now one of the 'responsible adults' was going to agree with this crap? Shit. "No, we aren't lying to him." Hea hissed.

"And why not?" Tuff shot her a glare and snarl. "What, do you _want_ to go with him or something?"

It was like the insults just kept coming! Geez, one would think they'd have some sort of filter when it came to this sort of thing, being blunt all the time didn't _always_ help. "Yeah, I _really_ want to run off with him." She snapped back as her body became tense. "First we'll play 'house' for a little while then in two months we'll leave Berk and get married. It's the life I've always planned."

"Not funny." Rye bumped her fist against the baker's shoulder.

Sure it wasn't funny but it made _her_ feel a hell of a lot better. If that stupid blond didn't get off her back anytime soon she was gonna sock him in the chops, then he wouldn't be _able_ to say anything else. At least for a day or so anyway.

"So then why are you defending him so much?" Snotlout asked her, making the mistake of standing right beside her while speaking. "You don't _like_ him, do you?"

Again her eyes closed. Before she reopened them she took in a long, deep breath via her nostrils. She had to choose her next words with the utmost wisdom. Anything suggestive could start an uproar among the immature. "No." Being as simple as possible was best, right?

"Are you _sure_?" The shorter boy leaned into her.

"You are within slapping distance."

"Alright, alright that's enough." Stoick cleared his throat. "No more of that kind of talk."

"But no, I'm not going to lie to him because if he happens to find out that we _did_ lie, we'd be in trouble." Hea recovered, her voice smoothing out.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Ruff protested.

"Hea has a point," Hiccup piped up and moved toward her. Finally, someone who was gonna stick their neck out for her sake! "We don't want to give him _any_ reason to be suspicious. Lying isn't going to help. Especially when we know he's going to be on the lookout for any reason to break our deal."

And cue the moment when her inner girl begins whining because he's agreeing with the fact that she should leave. Ugh, was he really suggesting that she go or was he planning some sort of plan B? Then again, if he really wanted some 'distance' this was the way to do it! At least he wouldn't have to worry about her sleeping in his bed anymore.

"Plus, if I don't go then Fishlegs' dad has to go." Hea mumbled and jerked her chin in said boy's direction. "And I'm not carrying that on my shoulders."

"Heaven forbid!" Rye snickered.

"Anyway, I gotta split." Better speak now before the conversation continued any further and she ended up laughing her ass off or punching someone in the gut. "Boss-man is waiting. If anyone feels like coming with, I could probably use the help…and company."

"I got you," Astrid parted from her spot in the group and stood on her left.

"Let's get this done. I just wanna go home and sleep."

Act End.


	9. Act Nine

La Coordination

Act Nine

"Phobos and I'll be here first thing in the morning to relight your stove." Rye said with a wide smile on her face and overnight bag slung over her shoulder. "Also, I wouldn't mind checking up on you, make sure nothing happened over night."

"Sure, that's fine with me." Hea gave a slight nod of the noggin. "The fire's still going now so we're good for tonight." She continued as her older sister opened the front door. "Good luck tonight, I know you're gonna need it."

Rye released a warm chuckle, turning her attention back to the chef. "By the looks of it," She motioned her chin in the living area's direction, "We're gonna _both_ need it."

Without any hesitation, the younger girl straightened her back and glanced to the right. Sitting there among the small cluster of furniture sat the deranged young male. And of course, he happened to be sitting in _her favorite_ chair, his legs stretched out, crossed and resting on the footstool. Following the same fashion as his legs, his arms were bound to his chest while he wore the nastiest look on his mug. Huh, it looked almost like someone ruined the end of a good novel with the look he was giving them.

"Ah no worries," Hea returned her focus to the nurse. "This is nothing."

"Okay then, you know where I'm gonna be." Rye leaned in with a set of open arms and wrapped herself around the short-haired woman. "If he tries anything funny, don't hesitate to get me." She whispered as her lips brushed past the hug's recipient's ear. "Send Bug out or something and the cavalry will be here in less than a minute."

Hea lifted her arms to her older sibling and clenched her fingers tight to the fabric of her clothing. "Everything's gonna be fine. But if something comes up, you'll be the first to know."

Rye removed her arms and dropped them to her sides once again. "Alrighty, I'm gonna go. I'll see you in the a.m."

With a solid nod, she turned on her heel and began to head out of the tiny home. Hea followed the vet, only coming to a stop when her right foot hit the metal piece of door frame that separated the inside from the out. She leaned her torso outside, her right clenching the door and the left waving her sis farewell. "Don't stay up too late and _control_ yourself!"

"Psh, yeah sure. You do the same." Rye glanced over her shoulder and shot her a pout. "Love you."

"Love ya!"

 _You better control yourself; after all you're staying with two bachelors!_

And while it must be _so very_ tempting, the dragon nurse did have _Gobber_ to think about. Ah inner sarcasm never failed to assume her. Shaking off any kind of disturbing thoughts in her mind, Hea pulled her trunk back into the arm home and shut the front door. Ah, now time to relax.

This day had been too long, too tiring and too demanding. What she would give to just lay down and take a little nap! Just a little one, then she could get started on dinner. A nice stew of course, something comforting that would keep her tummy full and her core warm enough to keep her sleeping all night long!

The last two hours bringing back his bags and unpacking had taken what little energy she had left. She was sure if she didn't sit for a while that she'd collapse. When was the last time she'd been this exhausted? Ugh, had to be the day she came home to Berk over a year ago. The two days bed rest afterward left her feeling refreshed but back then she had Rye to baby and nurse her back to health! It was gonna be pretty different this time around.

"When's dinner?"

 _Okay more like polar-opposite different this time around._

She pulled her body away from the door and made a sluggish stagger of a walk to the small couch just beside Dagur. Really, he was doing this right now? Gah, couldn't he wait an hour? As she moved closer, she saw him watching her every step. Great.

"In a while." Hea grunted and once within distance, flopped on to the seat. "I'm really tired; give me a bit, okay?"

" _Tired_?" He asked and she could _almost_ see the disgust in his face as she laid there with her face stuck between the cushions. "What in world do _you_ have to be tired from?"

Okay, did he _want_ to argue or something? Why else would he wait until she was alone? While the urge to indulge him was screaming in the back of her head, her body refused. Instead, she reached her right arm out, dropping her fingers once they came into contact with the dog on the ground below. At least she had Bug. Bug wasn't going to argue with her; beg for food _maybe_ but not criticize her.

"I'm _tired_." She spoke, her voice muffled by the fabric pressed against her cheek. "Just give me an hour to nap and I'll get started on dinner, I promise."

"An hour?!" His voice grew heavy and loud. "It's gonna take that long just to cook the food! I'm not gonna wait _two_ hours."

" _Uggghhhhh_." She dug her nose deeper into the couch.

"And how do you expect me to wait when I'm already hungry, huh?" Was he _still_ going on? "You need to be able to cook food the moment you're told. You're supposed to be able to feed me _and_ my armada! I can already tell you're already going to be more trouble than you're worth."

"I really don't want to fight, okay? Please?"

"What am I supposed to do while you loaf about all night?"

Alright! Enough! Hea's snapped her head out from the cushions and directed a glare at her house guest. "You know the day _was_ half over by the time you got here! I'm exhausted! I almost _DIED_ today!"

Instead of any answer, he stared back at her with a flame in his eyes she'd never seen before. Was he more frustrated with the fact that he was receiving a 'no' or was it because he really was hungry? And by the look he was shooting her way, he wasn't going to be the least bit interested in listening to what happened to her this morning. No because fainting on the back of the dragon about a gazillion miles in the air and almost falling off wasn't interesting at all!

But he wasn't gonna quit complaining and /or glaring until he was fed, was he?

"Great Odin above." The overworked female pulled her free hand away from her dog and pushed her body off the comfort of the couch. "Fine."

If it'd shut him up and stop him from pestering her then fine. Besides, the sooner she got this done the sooner she could go to bed. If she was only supposed to cook for him then he shouldn't have any other orders after he had his fill.

She made her way into the kitchen, her muscles aching along the way. She first stopped at the large wicker basket at the corner of the room and pulled several vegetables into arms. Dropping them on the counter, she drug her feet to the stove and removed cooking pot from the burner. With the older pot in hand, she moved to the large sink and dropped the piece of steel below the iron hand-pump faucet.

Couldn't he at least pump the water out for her? Geez. Good thing it was just the two of them eating tonight, if she _did_ have to cook dinner for his whole armada, she'd die! Better enjoy this while she could. Her arms burned as she pumped the faucet, just a bit more now, then this would all be over. For the night anyway. Good thing she had several pieces of chopped brined beef in her cellar.

"This still doesn't fix the fact that I'm hungry now."

Really? Her arms came to a stop, the water at the perfect cooking level. "I have a few bread rolls if you want. Fresh butter too."

He snorted almost like he was trying not to laugh at her reply. "I'm _not_ going to eat a roll without any kind of meat. I deserve better than that."

Hea sighed. She lifted the soon-to-be stew pot to the counter alongside the veggies. "I don't know what else you want me to do. The meat is for the stew. You're gonna hafta wait."

"I _don't_ wait."

Geez, what was he _royalty_ or something?! Sure he was once the son of the chief and now the leader of his tribe but that didn't mean he needed to be waited on hand and foot! Up until today he was just another crazed Viking to her. This had to be some kind of 'test' he was putting her through.

There was one last trick she had left up her sleeve, might as well give that a shot. "I have one thing that might help but it's the best I can do right now."

"Do it."

Ignoring the fact that he just gave her an order without so much as a _please_ , Hea moved away from her chopping surface and moved several footsteps to the left until she found herself in front of her best ceramic container. Candied ginger just might shut this guy up, at least for a while. She pulled the top off her dish and stuck her free hand into the jar. Scooping a good handful of sweets, she removed her hand and replaced the top to the container.

"This should help for a bit." She spun on her heel and stepped toward the Berserker whose brow was lifted.

He held out his hand the moment she approached close enough and with a wide set of eyes, watched as she dropped a few decent-sized pieces of candy into his hand. Even after she retracted her arm back to her side, he continued to stare at his full palm like he was disgusted.

"Is this a joke?"

"No." Hea shook her head. "It's this or bread. Besides, it's candy, you'll like it."

"I _know_ what it is." He narrowed his eyes. "My question is how is _this_ supposed to keep satisfied until dinner?"

"You aren't supposed to just eat it; you're supposed to suck on them." She replied, her arms linking to her hips. "Swallowing all that extra spit will help with the hunger until dinner. That's all I have unless you want that roll."

"Fine."

She nodded once and not needing to hear any more lip she turned around and stepped back into the kitchen. If she worked fast enough and careful enough than maybe she could get this prep done, without any cuts, in new record time!

"Does it bother you that she's gone?"

What? Now he wanted to talk about her _feelings_? What the hell? "You mean Rye?"

"Yeah."

"Not really." She said, stopping at her worktop, where she had first started. "Why?"

"You acted like you'd never see each other again." He grumbled from his seat on _her_ chair. "I've never said 'I love you' to _anyone_ before, not even my pathetic father."

Oh, a curious Viking. "It's a sister thing, I guess." She said with a smirk developing on her lips. "But where we're from, it isn't unusual. We aren't Vikings, remember?"

"Hard to forget." He huffed, almost in the exact same way she'd heard from Tuffnut. "You and your sister are…"

"Weird?"

"No, more like…"

"Strange?"

"Hm, nah."

Her eyes rolled even as she reached across the counter to her knife block. "Freaks?"

"Yeah, like freaks of nature." His tone lightened.

 _Gee thanks_. Was this how every conversation was going to go? "But anyway, I'm kinda used to being without her. When I left for that year and a half, it was just me and Bug." Her fingers wrapped around her chopping blade and yanked it from the wood. "I'll be fine doing this as long as Bug is with me. Then I don't mind being alone."

"Bug?" She could almost _hear_ him flinch in his seat as she began to slice the heads of the carrots from the orange root. "The _dog_? This _thing_ over here?" At this point he was probably pointing his finger down at her 'daughter'.

 _Oh here we go._

"And what do you mean you don't mind being 'alone' as long as you this _thing_ with you?! You aren't alone! I'm sitting right here!" Whoa, was he getting pissed or something? "You're making MY dinner! How could you be alone when you're working for ME?!"

Now finished with her first two carrots, Hea dropped her knife and gathered the chopped vegetables and dropped them into the pot of water. "Again, I'm way too tired for this, I don't want to argue."

 _Even though ever part of me wants to bite your head off._

"You've just insulted me!" He continued, "I am a thousand times more entertaining than this beast. You can't even carry on a conversation with that animal, it just sits there and looks… _cute_."

Oh there was a word she never thought she'd hear come from his mouth. Before starting on more carrots, she paused and turned his way. Still recovering from the usage of the word 'cute', he seemed rather uncomfortable in his seat. His green eyes were locked on the dog in question, who at this time was laying on her back with her legs kicking in the air.

"What's wrong with cute?" The working girl gazed away from her pup and looked back to the redhead. "Besides, she can talk. You just have to listen."

The moment her lips came to a close, his eyebrows bounced to the top of her forehead and he once again looked to her. This time instead of looking at her like she was a freak of nature or stupid, he gawked at her like she was some kind of nut.

"And she's smart." Hea turned away and continued on with cutting her veggies. "She herds the sheep and protects me. Smarter than any _dragon_."

"At least we can agree on something." The sound of him falling back into the seat made her relax. "But I wouldn't go as far to say she was smart. In fact, I can tell just by the look on her face that she's stupid. Maybe not as stupid as a dragon but it's a waste of time to talk to her and treat her like a person. She's a _dog_ , that's all she'll ever be. And if she has anything to say about that, she better pipe up."

Did he really? No, he couldn't have. He couldn't be that rude, insulting and cold-hearted! Mid-chop, she dropped her knife, allowing it to hit the counter with an eerie echo. She placed both of her hands on the edge of her work surface, inhaled a deep breath and turned his way. Her face twisted in such a nasty way in almost _hurt_ to keep it that way. Frown deeper set than she'd ever felt, brows furrowed so close together they almost formed a unibrow and jaw clenched to the point where her teeth throbbed, she _glared_ at him.

And as she shot him this look at could almost kill anyone, he sat back in _her favorite chair_ with his arms folded over his broad chest, a pleased smirk on his face and not doubt with one of her candies beneath his tongue. What, was he proud of the fact that he'd gotten under her skin? What kind of award did he want for that? Of course he wanted attention, anyone could guess that much but the fact that it was _working_ nearly pushed her over the edge.

He had guts to talk to her that way that was for sure.

"Oh what a sour face." He cooed.

"I'm way too tired for this shit." She loosened her features. "I've had a really, really long and unforgiving day so I'm not going to fight right now. Believe me, I'd love to argue but I'm done tonight." Hea felt her tense, aching muscles relax as she spoke to the older man sitting across from her. "If you want to fight, let's do it tomorrow. I'll fight all day long with you but not now."

"You're no fun."

 _Not right now I'm not._

Saving her smart mouth for a later date, she returned to her duty and moved on to cutting the last of the carrots before moving on to the potatoes. Besides, if she had night to think about what she was gonna say, her comebacks would be even better. Damn, was this the first time she'd ever backed down from a fight? Ugh, sure felt like it. Would it have been any different if it were one of the twins sitting in her chair? Maybe. The fact that he was still terrifying didn't help matters either.

"Oh and by the way," She spoke out after moments of silence, "She says that you're a jerk."

"Hmph."

 _Just finish this food and go to bed. Things will be better tomorrow. You can do this Hea; those stupid reptiles are depending on you. This is nothing, things are gonna be easy from here on out._

"So, when's dinner?"

Gah!

XoXoX

The sound of her inhaling and exhaling was something new for sure. When had he ever been this close to a slumbering female? Sure, he was the leader of his tribe but that didn't leave much time for 'dating' or spending the night with someone of the opposite sex. Huh, it was something to remember anyway.

Dagur dropped his dishes in the open sink and grunted. What to do now? The girl was sleeping; it wasn't like she'd be too entertaining if he woke her. Sad fact was she was gonna _have to_ sleep eventually, if she was going to continue to cook anyway. There was _his_ bed calling too after all.

Turning away from the sink he stepped through the living space and passed the low-burning stove. She had kept the fire burning as shallow as possible to keep the food warm. She hadn't eaten anything, maybe she wanted it to temperature when she woke up or maybe she kept it going just in case he was still hungry sometime during the night. Whatever, it wasn't important. _He_ was done with it.

He came to a stop at the foot of the couch. There she lay, on her stomach with her right arm dangling just above the floor. She had covered herself with a quilt when she claimed she was 'just resting for a second' but now the blanket had slipped halfway off her torso. Huh, kinda pathetic to see her like this, did she not have the courage or pride to fight for her bed in the back room? The girl spoke a big game but that was about it.

At least she could cook a good stew. She was good for _something_.

The sound of panting broke his stare. He turned away from the woman and looked down to see the stupid excuse for a mutt sitting at his feet. She didn't seem afraid of him, a mistake on her part. Instead she was staring at him like she was _waiting_ for something. What? Was she hungry or something? Hm, it wasn't _his_ job to feed her, if he had his way of things, throwing her outside would be best.

 _Huh, that's not a bad idea._

With a brow lifted, his green eyes darted up and back to Hea. She was still sleeping. Might as well get rid of the animal while she was out. If there was one thing she seemed determined about, it was that dumb beast of burden.

" _If I'm gonna come with you, Bug is too. I'm willing to fight for it."_

Of course that was to be seen. A barking wolf could be dealt with and set aside as noise but a wolf that could _bite_ was something to be concerned about. She had shown that she had a lot of bark but until she put up a good fight, he wasn't going to give at all.

A whine from the floor made him once again lock eyes with the creature at his feet. By now she had tilted her head to one side while her tongue stuck out of her mouth. Ugh, maybe if it wasn't so small and _cute_ it'd be worth having around but this ball of fur wasn't something he was going to allow on his ship let alone his island.

The dog then stood on all fours and stepped away from him and trotted toward the front door. Ah, did it want out? Fine, it was a way to kill two dragons with one arrow anyway. He'd do it a favor and let it out but that didn't mean he had to let it back in.

Dagur followed the blonde canine to the front door and reached out to the knob. With a single twist and pull, the frame popped open. A gust of chilled air hit his exposed skin and for a moment made the hairs on his body stand straight. Without having to command it, the ball of hair stepped outside. He waited for the clear and once she was a good two feet away from the home, he shut and _locked_ the door.

She was fat and made of fluff; she'd be more than fine. Spoiled animal. Dogs were meant to be outside anyway. Animals were not high enough on the food chain to be allowed the safety of a warm, dry house.

That done and finished, he moved away from the entrance hall and back into the living area. His eyes darted toward her to see that she was still sound asleep. Either she was a deep sleeper or she really was tired from her day.

" _Again, I'm way too tired for this, I don't want to argue."_

Huh, tired? She wanted to talk about being _tired_?! What _he_ did with his life was tiring! She had no idea how it was to lead of a village, a village of idiots after the ruling of his father! It was him who turned around the armada and forced the Berserkers back to their former glory. Cooking a few meals and dealing with Stoick was _not_ what he would consider tiring. She had an easy life on Berk but things were going to be different from here on out. Very different.

The chief continued his march to the back bedroom, leaving the chef to sleep on the couch. Within a matter of seconds he'd reached his destination and fell into the bed on the right side of the room. Whose bed was this anyway? Didn't really matter either way, it was _his_ now and if he liked it enough when their trial run was over, he would just take it home with him!

Before lying down, he proceeded to shed his armor, starting with his helmet and moving on to the steel on his chest. Once free from the extra weight on his body he fell back into the pillow and released a grunt. What now? Things had turned out way differently than he'd originally planned. An extended stay on this blasted island was not something he _really_ wanted to do but it proved necessary to continue the plan.

Because of this abrupt change in design, he was going to have to sit and think the rest of this out. Coming to Berk and signing a treaty was never the real goal. Giving Stoick the Vast a fake sense of security was. If he wasn't expecting an attack, his army or dragons wouldn't have time to prepare. But now? There were different things at stake. He couldn't very well hold a part of _this_ tribe hostage when the girl he had working for him wasn't a _real part_ of Stoick's village.

Then again, those idiots Hiccup considered 'friends' seemed rather attached to her. If he couldn't persuade the chief of Berk to step down, it might just work with those stupid kids of his. Not to mention that sister of Hea's. Getting her hysteric could work in his favor as well.

Oh and there was that matter and subject of dragons in general with the girl.

" _No. I hate dragons."_

Maybe turning her to his way of thinking was possible. If he was able to do _that_ , then his job would become easier, much easier. She was close to Hiccup and the others without a doubt and with that piece of information, she could easily find out their weaknesses. Not to mention where they keep the beasts, feed them and train them. She could feed him information all without them noticing at all.

Reconditioning her wouldn't be hard. She already hated the stupid animals. It was only a matter of effort and time before he could convince her to go rouge. And it was both effort and time he had to spare. Actually this turn of events could work out very well.

Act End.


	10. Act Ten

La Coordination

Act Ten

His charcoal pencil grinded against the yellowed slip of notebook paper almost loud enough to make him twitch. Figures on the night he needed to distract himself the most with art, he couldn't think of a thing to draw or sketch. At this point he was just making random lines on the parchment in the hopes that they would come together to make something worthwhile. Hiccup forced the side of his face into his right palm as his left worked on the 'masterpiece' below.

 _What now?_

What were they going to do about Dagur? As much as he wanted to tell the others he had a plan, he couldn't because he _didn't have one_. The treaty, at least at the moment, seemed pretty much flawless. And the fact that Hea had willingly _agreed_ to it wasn't making things any easier. His sensible side knew exactly why she'd agreed but his heart couldn't seem to accept it. Life without Hea on the island, this time assuming it'd be permanent, wasn't something he wanted to do. She'd left once before sure, but the time it was understood that it was only temporary. Now? Hm, he wasn't sure.

" _I got this."_

He knew why she felt compelled to do this. That much was obvious, at least to him it was. She didn't care about a cooking career or the safety of Berk. This wasn't even about everyone else's dragons. This was about protecting Toothless. He'd seen the look on her face when it came time for her to make her choice. She didn't look to Rye or even Bug, the first living creature she looked at was Toothless. She'd said a million times before that she hated dragons, especially Phobos, Stormfly and Hookfang but all those times his Night Fury was the exception.

" _I don't have to justify myself to you or anyone. I'm doing this."_

His pencil fell from between his fingers, hitting the wooden desk below with an echo. He inhaled a large breath of air before moving his eyes from his work and up to the sleeping dragon who hung from the ceiling.

 _You're worth it._

He'd done the same thing. He'd risk anything for the only person in the world he considered to be his best friend. If there was one thing he couldn't use in an argument to keep Hea on Berk it was that Toothless was replaceable. No one, nothing could replace him. And that was what made this situation ten times harder.

What was she doing now? What was Dagur doing now? Sleeping probably but the thought of him threatening or blackmailing her didn't sit well with him. Was that the reason he wasn't asleep himself? Yeah, most likely. Even with the day he'd had feeling so long and tiring, sleep was the last thing on his mind.

She said she could protect herself but…

"Hiccup?"

He stiffened to the sound of his father's voice and sat up straight at his desk. Making sure to cover his latest drawings, or attempts at drawing first and foremost, he whirled around in his seat to see his dad standing in the doorway. Huh, had he left the door open or was he so distracted that he didn't hear him knock then enter? Ah well, he was here now might as well find out what he wanted.

"Yeah?" He asked, moving around in his chair enough to where his back felt comfortable while he spoke to his father.

"I wanted…" The older male hesitated only for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing. "To check on you. How are you?"

"I'm okay, I guess." His eyes fluttered away from the chief. "You know, as okay as I'm gonna get while Dagur's here."

"I understand."

"Uhh, so um…how are _you_?" The teen asked, vision flickering back to the doorframe.

"'Bout the same as you." He sighed through his nose. "Well, as long as you're alright, I'm off to bed." He released his grip on the wall.

So that was it? He wasn't going to have any emotion about this at all? True, Vikings weren't exactly 'touchy feely' about things but even a casual 'sorry 'bout this' would work very well right now. This did just happen to be one of his closest friends here, maybe even something more. Then again, did Stoick the Vast even take that sort of thing into consideration?

"Are you…I mean, have you thought of any way to…" He choked on his words. "Does Hea _have_ to go? Isn't there…isn't there something we can do?"

The larger man paused, he paused for a longer period of time than the trainer could have expected. For the first second or two he looked shocked but after another silent period his facial features fell. What was he thinking? Why was he hesitating? Stoick the Vast was rarely at a loss for words; he'd only seen/heard his father hold back when he knew the next few words or sentences were going to be hard to digest.

"We aren't planning anything to stop this, Hiccup."

So there it was. The truth. But of course, it only led to more questions.

"What?" He leaned forward in his chair, left hand grasping the back of the wooden seat. "So the plan is that we _don't_ have a plan."

"Yes, Hiccup."

What was with the sudden use of his name over and over?! He wasn't trying to plead with his dad to keep a stray dog, this was about a _person_. "We're going to let Hea leave with Dagur," He repeated in frank terms. "Just like that?"

"She's made her decision." Stoick's neutral face began to fade. "She wasn't forced into anything. We gave her a choice."

Was he really going on that factor? They both, they _all_ knew why the female sheep herder was doing this. "It wasn't much of a choice, dad." He kept his voice calm, even while his heart pounded away in his chest. "She's not doing this because she wants to; she's doing it for our sake. We can't just ship her out for us."

"I can't do anything about it now." He remained rigid. "It doesn't matter what her reason is, she's already agreed. We should be respectful of her decision if she is just doing it for us."

He never liked her, another thing they _both_ knew. For whatever reason it was, his father never took the same liking to Hea as he had with Rye. So what was this 'respect her decision' all of a sudden? Stoick the Vast didn't care with Hea the Sheep Herder did with her working life, let alone was respectful of it.

"Dad come on," Hiccup felt his fingernails dig deep into the wood beneath his hand. "Think about this, what if-"

"The girl doesn't like dragons, Hiccup." The depth and heaviness of his father's voice made the younger male pause mid-sentence. "Where she's going there won't be any. And she'll finally be able use all that learning she did two years ago there. She'll be doing what she _wants_."

" _Funny seeing the minute I get back, with all my new skills, I have to go right back to_ sheep herding _."_

What was…what was that supposed to _mean_? That…

"Maybe it'd be better for her to be with someone her own age."

Wait, _what_?! "Did you?" Hiccup's right arm extended, his index finger loosely pointed in the chief's direction. "Wait, what are you talking about now? Her own age?"

"You know what I mean." He replied, face a hard as steel.

"Wha? No, dad." Both of the artist's hands shot up. "You can't use that argument; we're only _two years_ apart! We're from the same generation! Besides you could say the same for Rye!"

"Rye is different, you know that." Stoick continued without so much of a twitch. Had he thought out his responses in advance? "Hea still acts like a teenager. She's at the age when she should be looking for a husband. She needs to become a woman, like her sister."

Whoa, that sentence could have many, many different _disturbing_ meanings. Did he even _want_ to get into this conversation at this point? This was the type of discussion that needed to be put off for a good decade or so! Whether Rye or any other female on this island had _become a woman_ wasn't something _anyone_ should know. That was kinda private information.

"Dad, really?" His arms dropped. "She…ugh… I can't even find words right now."

"You don't need to." His father pulled away from the doorframe. "Everything's already been settled."

"Have you even thought about what this would do to Rye?" Hiccup recovered. "She's gonna be a wreck if this happens. What about that?"

Stoick inhaled through his nose, almost like he needed a moment to think. "Rye can make up her own mind on what she needs to do. She's old enough and mature enough to handle this. She's been through worse."

 _She has?_

"I don't think you really understand what's going to happen." A heavy sigh left the trainer's lips as his shoulders slumped forward.

"I'm doing the best I can at the moment, Hiccup." A similar sigh left the older Viking. "Everything will be just fine. Now, go to sleep." With that, Stoick turned away and began to step in to the hall.

"Dad?" The moment the boy's voice hit the air, the man paused. "I'm gonna get a quick breath of fresh air before bed, okay?"

"Sure," His father answered, his back stilled turned to his son. "Don't stay out too long. Good night Hiccup."

"Night."

The sound of footfalls faded almost as fast as the village chief himself. The teen waited a number of moments before he heard the sound of his father's bedroom door open and shut before stepping out of his chair. With another sigh, he balanced himself before stepping to the right, where he found his Night Fury watching him with a set of wide, curious eyes. Had he been listening the whole time? Hm, what would _he_ say about all this? Hm.

"I'm gonna step out for a minute, you wanna come with?"

Faster than he could blink, the dragon released himself from his sleeping position and crawled to all fours on the wooden bedroom floor. So that was a yes? Good, if there was one thing he needed right now was alone time with his best bud. Then again, what dragon wouldn't give up the chance to go out for a walk at any spur of the moment?

"Okay, come on."

His frown turned into a small smile as he moved forward with Toothless on his heel. The two males made their way through the small home until they found themselves at the front door. Just as Hiccup reached forward to take hold of the doorknob, something in the dark caught his eye. The fist-sized hole near the entrance made him chuckle.

" _What possessed you to punch my dad's wall? He_ is _the village chief. That was pretty bold of you."_

Ah, that felt like so long ago. Problems back then didn't seem so bad looking back now. Only if he had _half_ of those issues now.

" _I'm sorry; when I get mad…I just kinda lose it. I'll fix it, I promise."_

Well, it'd been well over a year and she had yet to fix it just yet. Was she more embarrassed about coming over to patch it up or was it just that she didn't _want_ to do it? Either way it wasn't like his dad really wanted her back in the house. In fact, he'd almost chewed his beard off the morning he found her in his bed. Ah, more problems he wished he had now.

Would…she be able to fix it before she left? Was there enough time? She promised, she _had_ to fix it before she left.

No, he couldn't think that way. It wasn't certain that she was going, even if everyone else thought so. At this point he was pretty sure that only he and Rye had hopes or were thinking up ways to change this deal around. He wouldn't give up. Never.

A tap against his side made him shake his head. The rider turned away from the hole in the wall and glanced down to see his dragon nudging at his arm. Ah right, he wanted out. He was promised a walk after all.

"Sorry bud, let's get out of here for a while."

Hiccup moved his right arm back upward and latched his fingers around the doorknob. With a gentle twist and pull, the door opened. Being as careful and quiet as possible, he stepped out of the home before the reptile. After removing his body from the structure, he turned to Toothless and beckoned him forward without a word. The Night Fury submitted and followed in silence. Once the two were out, he pushed the door forward and closed it.

"Alright," Hiccup shot a smile to his partner, "A lap around the village good enough for you?"

A rumbling sound similar to a cat's chirrup was as close to a 'yes' as he was gonna get from him. So with a solid nod from both parties, the teen led the way. At least it was a nice night, hardly a cloud in the sky! Why couldn't it be nights like _this_ that Hea was working? Nights where the sky was clear, crisp and sweet. Heh, usually the shifts she worked were too cold, windy or rainy to spend the whole time with her.

From out of the corner of his eye, he saw his Night Fury stiffen and come to a complete stop. What was this about? Hiccup turned to his partner to see that the dragon had lifted his neck into the air and his nostrils had begun to twitch. Huh, smelling something unusual at this time of night? What-

His wings only flapped a single time before he sped north on all fours. Whoa, must have been something important for him to dash off like that. Better follow after him, make sure he didn't get into any trouble. Hiccup braced himself before he took off after Toothless. With the black reptile still within eyeshot, he jogged for a good ten feet before seeing that the dragon had come to a stop.

Stopping just two feet or so shy of Toothless; he broke his run into a slower walk. He focused his eyes on the ground, where the Night Fury had his head dipped. A familiar blonde ball of fur came into view and made him smile.

"Bug?" He asked, closing the gap between the two animals. "What are you doing out here?"

Hiccup watched as dog and dragon met nose to nose. They both took a silent moment to sniff one another, no doubt gathering information. Toothless broke away first, his right ear lifting while his left remained flat. The dog tilted her head to one side in response before raising her chin and releasing a yap.

Ah so they _were_ talking. Hm, that was interesting. So dogs and dragons could communicate with each other? Huh, he'd never seen this any time before then again maybe he just hadn't noticed. As long as they weren't fighting he didn't pay them much mind when they were together.

"So can I join this conversation anytime soon?" He asked aloud, his smirk growing.

A low grunt and rumble vibrated through Toothless, his attention still on the female dog at his feet. The pup stamped both front paws against the ground at this, shaking her nose back and forth. The moment her snout came to a stop, her ears fell flat against her head and she let out a whine.

"I'll take that as a no then." Hiccup pouted.

Just on the bridge of losing hope, Toothless turned around. His large yellow eyes locked with his and made him furrow his brows. What was that about? Was something _wrong_? Then again Hea was nowhere to be seen and her dog was outside alone. She wouldn't let Bug out to wander around by herself, would she? The time the ball of fluff went missing it almost caused a complete uproar! And knowing the determined sheep herder as well as he did, he knew she wouldn't let the pup out of her sight again.

"Did something bad happen?" He leaned forward, eyes moving to Bug. "Where's Hea? Is she hurt?"

The blonde canine nearly _pouted_ at the sound of her owner's name. That was a good sign…maybe? At least the dog wasn't frantic or panicking. This mini wolf _was_ known for barking her head off at the first sign of danger; or what _she_ thought was danger anyway.

 _Maybe…_

" _I don't care what it is; it's not allowed to stay here when I'm here."_

"Ah," He moved closer to the fluff ball. "Dagur kicked you out, didn't he?" An unexpected laugh left his lips as he carefully bent forward.

Her large almond-shaped eyes glossed over with what looked like tears. Could dogs even cry? He wouldn't put it passed this dog even if it were impossible either way. The cute-factor had always seemed to work for her in the past; she had _perfected_ it at this point.

"Well, I can't let you just stay out here by yourself." He sighed, reaching his arm forward to touch the dog behind the ears. "You're used to the pampered life; this would be torture for you!"

Bug's small triangle-shaped ears bounced upright and the pout that seemed almost too human vanished.

"I'm guessing Hea has no idea you're out here?" He asked even if he already knew the logical answer. "Come on. You can stay with us until tomorrow." Hiccup gave the little girl a pat to the head before standing up. "I know it isn't perfect, but you've slept at our place before. You'll be fine."

The curled tail at the end of the dog began to wag back and forth. So that was a 'yes'? Good. If something happened to her during the night, he'd never forgive himself. After all, she was a young lady; she deserved to be treated with respect.

 _I'm a sucker for anything with four legs._

Act End.


	11. Act Eleven

La Coordination

Act Eleven

The smell of food made his stomach twitch as well as his nose. Well there was something he was not used to. But not just to wake to a meal being made but to smell food that actually seemed _good_. He took note of the potatoes first off but the scent of fresh bread came in at a close second. When was the last time he had a _decent,_ hot breakfast? For her sake, it better be as good as it smelled.

Dagur allowed his eyes to open in the same moment he lifted his torso from the mattress. He took a brief moment to gather himself before swinging his legs off the edge of the bed. As his vision came into focus he spotted his armor still on the floor, in the same place and condition he'd left in during the night. Huh, she hadn't rushed in once awake and cleaned up after him? Was she _that_ lazy or just being stubborn? Either way it was a character flaw that he'd work out of her soon enough.

He lifted his chin to the sound of dishes clanking and knocking about. So much noise! Didn't she have the decency to be quiet when he was sleeping? Another bad habit to erase in the future. But in her small, unneeded and undeserving defense, there wasn't a bedroom door. Why? Of course he could ask her but he'd probably just get an answer so stupid, it'd make his right hand tingle. Best let her wallow in her ignorance while she had the chance to.

With a grunt and sigh, he pulled his body from his new bed and stood up straight. He didn't even take a moment to stretch before leaving the confides of the small bedroom and stepped through the tiny home until he found himself in the living/kitchen area of the house. At the stove she stood, moving about without any kind of hesitation or worry. Hm, pretty confident for someone who was facing a rather unforeseeable future.

At the counter sat a few different plates full of different foods. What was with this feast? It wasn't like she was expecting company, was she? She should _know_ better. Ah well, if someone did happen to show up, he could always throw them off the property with little effort.

He continued to make his way to the kitchen table without a word. He watched her back as she worked; better to get a sense of how she worked now and be prepared for the future in case she got any ideas of going hero. Apparently she had found time between waking up and cooking to change into a new outfit. Of course she had done it while was asleep but had she changed while in his bedroom or in the living room? It wasn't like it mattered now but the fact that she _could_ have attempted to hurt him in his sleep made his skin crawl.

 _Why didn't she?_

It would have been easy. It was something to think about anyway.

"Morning." The sound of her voice made him stiffen for a second. So she heard him enter the area?

Instead of a verbal reply he grunted and found a seat at the small rounded table. He wasn't required to reply, in fact she should be happy that she was allowed to speak when not spoken or ordered to. In the short time he'd been on Berk she hadn't made any rude remarks in his presence so there wasn't any need to punish her, _yet_.

"How did you sleep?" She spoke again, almost like she was actually interested.

Before responding, Dagur glanced away from the cook's back and to the couch she had slept on. Out of the corner of his eye the thrashing of a blonde ball of fluff had caught his attention. There the creature he had thrown out the night before lay, on her back rolling about in her bed. How? He narrowed his eyes, taking mental note that she was unharmed and looked relatively happy given the night she no doubt spent outdoors.

Did the dog come scratching at the front door? Maybe that woke her up. But if that was true, why hadn't the girl started off the morning by screaming her head off? After all, she seemed so determined to keep the dog indoors.

" _If I'm gonna come with you, Bug is too."_

" _I'm willing to fight for it."_

Well, if she wasn't going to mention it, he wouldn't either. And if she did sometime later, he'd put her in her place and show her who was in charge. Could it be that she had gotten the message sometime after that confrontation and changed her mind? It was possible. He'd find out for sure one way or another.

"As well as I could, seeing as I'm on _Berk_." He returned his focus to her and answered her question.

"Hungry?" Hea asked, now turning away from the stove and to the counter.

"I am sitting here, aren't I? And that is why you're working for me."

For a second she paused whatever she was doing. Was she holding her tongue or scared? He watched after the moment passed as her shoulders lifted and then fell like she had sighed. What was that about? He fought back the urge to demand an answer while she grabbed two full plates from the counter and turned to the table. She stepped toward him and dropped the dishes in the center of the wooden structure before turning on her heel and repeating the process. This time around she placed one empty plate in front of him and one at the opposite end of the table.

So she was planning to eat with him, eh? And seeing as she only had _two_ empty plates meant that she wasn't expecting any company. Good, the last thing he needed was to put up with Berk scum first thing in the morning. This was _his_ house now and only with his permission would someone like _Hiccup_ would be allowed inside.

A clank of yet another ceramic plate caught his eye. On the dish sat a kind of food he'd never seen before. A stack of round, steaming discs made him cock a red brow. What the hell was that? He was no food expert by far but he knew common breakfast foods when he saw them and this wasn't something he'd seen before.

"What is that?" He asked, jerking his chin in the direction of the golden circles.

The cook paused just after dropping said plate she turned to him. "The flapjacks?"

"If I don't know what they _are_ , how would I know what they were _called_?" His lifted brow tightened into a scowl.

She allowed her large brown eyes rolled after placing a single disc to his empty plate. "You can't tell me you've never had flapjacks." She stood straight and moved her right hand to her hip. "You know hotcakes, pancakes, griddlecakes?"

His narrowed his stare even further. "No." He then proceeded to cross his arms across his chest. "Is this one of those 'freak of nature' things that you city people eat? Berserkers don't eat cake in the morning."

"You've never had one?" Her look of frustration faded as well as her arm from her hip. What was with the sudden look of sadness? "You poor thing."

Before he could say any more, she reached across the table and grabbed the nearby butter dish. She tore off the lid and only stopping to grab a knife, dapped the utensil in the lard before returning her attention to him. Hea wiped the condiment across the cake in a single swoop and once finished, took the knife and plucked a second flapjack from the center plate. She mirrored her last actions in the same fashion before reaching out once again until her hand came to glass bottle. Her delicate hand twisted the cap from the container before she moved on and drizzled his food with a thick syrup.

By the smell of it he could tell it was maple. Maple syrup, the sugary confection used to make candy in the winter? What was she doing?

"Now," The younger female spoke in a tone he hadn't heard from her since being in her home. "Since you're new to this, I'm not gonna add too much syrup to your 'jacks. A lot of people are really picky about how much they add." What was she yammering on about this for? "I don't want to drench them so I'm just gonna put on a bit, if you want more the syrup's right here. My mom always said you could always add more to something, but never remove it once it's been done. The same law applies here!"

Was she really losing herself in her own little pathetic world? Did her focus always revolve around cooking? How disappointing and sad. Could this woman get anymore dull? He continued to watch her face as she pulled away from the table with a rather wide smile on her features. So she wasn't faking it? She was actually enjoying this?

"Do you always blab on like that?" Dagur spoke out, lip lifted.

Almost instantly her smile dropped and a deep familiar frown returned. "Yes, it's one of my better traits in fact."

"We're gonna hafta work on that then." He removed his arms from his chest and extended his hands toward the fork and knife in front of him.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched as her arms became stiff at her sides and hands clenched. Ah, so he was getting under her skin? Just how long was it going to take before she snapped? When would her mouth get the better of her and her manners vanish? It would be an interesting conversation when it _did_ finally happen.

With a slight shrug of his massive shoulders, he dove into his food, fork and knife first. He had no problems with the cakes as his utensils pressed into them. They were lighter and fluffier than he expected. And as he cut out a single triangle-shaped piece of food he took note of the softness. Was it even possible for food to be soft and worth eating at the same time? While he had never even heard of this kind of meal, it didn't _look_ too bad. At least the smell of the maple sap was intriguing enough.

He lifted the food to his mouth and took a bite. Again more softness, fluffiness but the tingle of sugar on his tongue made him twitch. Sugar? Sure, he was aware the any kind of syrup would contain a lot of the white stuff but _this_ much just in _one_ bite? It was almost like eating candy! In fact, it was very similar to the ginger candy she had given him the night before! What kind of person would pack in so much _sugar_ in the morning?

"So?" Hea asked in a light tone.

He took a second to swallow the food in his mouth before shooting the 'chef' another glare. "What is this? It's so sweet!" Dagur then dropped his fork to the table. "This is dessert, not breakfast! It's no wonder you're so tired at the end of the day, it's because you've crashed after eating this junk!"

At first her eyebrows arched to the top of her forehead and her mouth opened like she was shocked but then her face twisted into an unappealing grimace. Her clenched hands tightened into fists and her body became ridged with anger. Ah, a sore spot? Hm.

"How _dare_ you!" The dam of patience and fake smiles finally gave way. "My food is not _junk_! I go out of my way to make a huge breakfast for you and _that's_ the way you thank me?! You're just saying that because you aren't used to eating flapjacks, so of course they'd seem sweet at first! You don't know everything!" Her shoulders went stiff as she yelled loud enough to make his ears ring.

Shouting? At him? This early in the morning? Not to mention the utter disrespect of telling him what he did and didn't know. There was no way this woman; this _girl_ was going to speak to him like that. He was the leader of the Berserker tribe! She was lucky to be alive with a mouth like that! He'd chosen _her_ out of everyone else on the lame excuse for an island to work for _him_. She should be _grateful_.

Dagur let his knife hit the table below him before he pushed backward in his chair. Waiting until he had enough space, he lifted himself from his seat and turned to his chef. As he grew several inches above her, she appeared to shrink slightly. He moved in to her regardless of any look of remorse appearing on her face.

"You work for me." He said in a flat and strong tone. "Your _job_ is to make me food, _good_ food. If I ask you to make me mountains of food and I don't even give it a second glance, then that's how it's gonna be." He ducked down, coming into even closer contact with her and proceeded to extend the index finger of his right hand and shove it into her shoulder, " _You're_ only purpose in life now is to make _me_ ," His hand pulled back and he jabbed his thumb into his own chest, "Meals and if I say it's junk, then it's junk. _Get it_?"

Hea's bottom lip pulled into her mouth while her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. It didn't matter if she was embarrassed or even upset at this point, his word was law now. Just as his right arm fell back to his side, her head ducked between her shoulders.

"It's not junk."

Was she _still_ talking?! Even when he was in her face and making physical contact she continued to fight back! Wasn't his warning enough to shut her up?! He could tell by the look on her face that she was scared, terrified even but she _still_ had enough courage to talk back!

Fine. If she was going to be that way, two could play at that game. He took a single step away from the girl and turned back to the round table. With his left hand he reached out and took hold of the plate of flapjacks and held it in front of his chest. In a seamless fashion he moved the dish from his left palm into his right then looked at her. Making sure to stare her squarely in the eyes, he jerked his right limb outward. The plate full of food left his fingers in an instant, flying across the room until it shattered against the opposing wall in the living room.

"Junk."

The female turned at the sound of the ceramic dish hitting the wall and gawked at the leaking, sticky breakfast mess on the floor for a good thirty seconds before looking back in his direction. Her brows now touched the top of her forehead and her lips parted in shock. The slight redness that had appeared on her cheeks darkened and now gathered just below her eyes.

"How _could_ you?" She asked, voice now shaken and feeble. Where had all the fiery anger and passion go? "I spent so much time on that." Her eyes fell away from him and she reached toward the table and lifted an empty plate to her chest. "It was one of a kind."

Dagur felt his right eyebrow lift as the younger woman clenched the dish to her bust. What? It was just a plate! It could be replaced, besides she had plenty more! Had she made these plates by hand or something? Hell, even if she had they were still just tableware, there wasn't any good reason to be upset.

"I made that and it took a really long time." Her large brown eyes moved back to him. "Sure, there are plenty more but that one was unique!" A sudden depth in her voice made him stiffen. "It took me weeks to make it as perfect as possible! You have no idea how much time, effort and love I put into making it! There'll never be one like that again!"

All this drama…over a plate? He staggered for a half a second.

"You're so ungrateful!"

"It's a _plate_." Dagur crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his stare.

"Not the plate, the flapjack!"

 _What? What the…?_

Hea pulled the dish away from her chest and moved her arms well above her head. With a single swiping motion she threw the object to the ground. The off-white serving dish smashed upon contact, small sharp shards of pottery flying in every other direction.

"Of course they're sweet! They're _supposed_ to be sweet!" She began to shout again, this time loud enough to make the entire home shake. "I spent weeks and weeks perfecting that recipe until it was just right! It was superior to every other recipe because _I made it_!"

The tribe leader felt his arms go numb as they dropped from his upper body. His face twisted as the crazed girl stormed away from his side, pacing back and forth. What in Thor's name was she ranting about now? This was even stupider then being upset about the broken dish, she was throwing a fit about a _flapjack_.

"If you tried anyone else's flapjacks, you'd see where I'm coming from! Everyone else's are dry and _tasteless_. And I know what you're gonna say, 'that's what the maple syrup is for' but that's WRONG!" She paused and brought her fisted hands to her chest. "If your flapjacks are flavorless then all you're gonna taste is the syrup! And if I wanted to taste only the syrup then I'd just _eat_ the syrup! What would be the point of making the 'jacks?!"

 _This girl is crazy._

"There _wouldn't be one_." Hea's hands rattled in front of her body, rant not yet finished. "I made that recipe so the flapjacks would be good enough to eat alone, without syrup if need be! That's why they're sweet! Because they have _flavor_."

Again for the countless time that morning, Dagur felt his eyebrow lift. He took a second to look at her from head to toe and back again. "You're nuts."

Hea's body relaxed the moment he spoke, her arms hitting her sides and fingers falling free. She stood up straight and composed herself. "If making good food makes me nuts, then yes. Yes I am."

The Berserker leader felt a heavy sigh leave his lungs and lips. He took a number of steps backward until he found his chair and took a seat. Across the dining area he watched as his personal chef fall back against a kitchen counter. So that was it? Was she finished? Was _he_ finished for that matter?

"The rest of the food's getting cold." The sound of her strained voice echoed through the home.

Was she insisting he eat? Even after the shouting match they'd just had? Then again if she was that possessive about the flapjacks then how did she feel about everything else on the table? While the statement was true and he had said earlier that he wouldn't eat cold food, something about what she'd just said sounded too much like an order.

"You expect me to eat this food? I don't see any meat here." He rested his arms on the table, eyes scanning over the fried potatoes, fresh bread, muffins and remaining flapjacks.

"I used everything I had last night in the stew." She exhaled. "The only thing I have left is the bacon Rye's been saving."

"Make it."

"But it's not mine. I'll go and get more later, I promise."

His hands clenched. "Unless you want more of a mess to clean up, you will go and make it."

The short-haired woman tilted her head back as if she were tired or fed up and groaned. With a solid push off the stone counter, she stood up straight and parted from the area. He'd seen that look on her the night before when she 'gave up' and just did as told. So, as long as she was following orders that's all that mattered.

She'd break soon but reforming her by dinner would make a new record for him.

Act End.


	12. Act Twelve

La Coordination

Act Twelve

Rye felt a sigh pass her lips just as she came within reaching distance of her own home. This was too weird, having to come back to her _own_ house after spending the night away. Sure, she could sum it up to having to endure some kind of strange, awkward and tireless sleepover at a friend's house but after the night she had with Snotlout, comparing it to a slumber party was insulting.

Between all of the uncomfortable silences turned conversations, the abrupt parental 'check ups' from Spitelout, having to spend the night in the basement and the very random yet heated argument they shared in the wee-hours of the morning was just too much. In the end it didn't even feel like she'd gotten any rest at all!

 _Today is gonna be one of those days…_

At least she had a pretty interesting story for Hea when they had the time to gossip. That was assuming they'd have _time_ to talk, her new employer seemed like a real hardass. After all, he _was_ the one who threw Bug out in the middle of the night! If it hadn't been for Hiccup, who knows what could have happened to the little dog. She only happened upon the crippled boy after leaving her 'party' for a fresh round of air, sometime after the awkwardness then argument. And when she did run into him earlier that morning he filled her in on everything that'd happened hours before.

They had both agreed to sneak the fluffy canine back into the house before the cook woke up. Heaven knows that she'd throw a royal fit if she found out exactly what happened. Was she buying Dagur extra time, time he didn't deserve, from not being shouted at? Sure but they didn't need to start a war just yet. Not before she and Hiccup could come up with a plan good enough to get Hea out of this mess.

The dragon nurse felt her mind fall at ease as her Terrible Terror crawled down from the top of her head down to her left shoulder. At least Phobos was there for her last night, if she had to go that whole sleepover alone, she would have caved for sure!

With a smirk growing on her lips, Rye lifted the back of her hand to the front door and banged her knuckles twice against the wood. Why the hell she felt the need to knock on her own door was ridiculous but it was better to be safe than sorry, right? Thank goodness her manners evaded her last night when she just unlocked the door with her key. Why Dagur _locked_ the door was still a mystery, hell it wasn't like Bug was going to be able to open an _un_ locked door anyway.

She waited a moment before popping open the heavy, swollen wood door. The clash of plates and silverware caught her ears first, at least hearing that meant they were both still in one piece. Hm, why weren't they talking? Did they get into a fight or _were_ fighting? Shit. It wasn't exactly normal for Hea to be quiet in the morning, especially given that she was cooking.

The eldest sister entered the room, her eyes searching for her best friend first. She found her within a matter of seconds, in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes. Hea's head whipped up the moment she took a step inside then the sound of her dropping whatever she held between her fingers echoed through the house.

"Rye!" She squealed and bounced away from the sink.

Said woman allowed her arms to open just as the younger girl flung herself into her chest. Hea latched her fingers to the back of her shirt the moment they connected. Whoa, what was that about? Was she just tired or tired of _him_? Well, at least she wasn't crying, right? _And_ she did happen to have all four limbs intact, another good sign.

"Morning." Rye smirked and closed her arms around her sis.

"How was your night?" Hea asked, her grip lessening and soon falling away. "Did Snot give you trouble or what?"

"It's something we're gonna have to gossip about later for sure."

"Oh!" She pulled away enough for the nurse to get a good look at her sister's tired expression. "Sounds good, we can talk later. How about we go out or something?"

That sounded just amazing! Heaven knew since _he_ showed up on the island everything had been tense. The first thing she needed was some good alone time with her bestie. Just the two of them to sit down and talk about everything that had happened over the last lonely night; that would be perfect!

"You feel good enough to make some food?" Rye asked, allowing her arms to once again hit her sides. "Maybe we can go out to eat? Like on the beach."

"A picnic sounds so good right now." Hea slumped forward while a lethargic smile cracked along her cheeks. "Chicken sandwiches with my special sauce? I can do that."

"Sounds just lovely." The sarcastic tone from the man across the room made the older female flinch. Gah, just when she forgot he was there for the shortest second, he jumped back into her memory!

"How are you Phobos?"

Rye watched as her best friend turned her focus to the tiny dragon that sat on her shoulders. Hea reached up to the reptile with a single finger extended and when she was just centimeters away from his snout, she paused. Waiting for the Terror to react first, the baker waited for the moment Phobos sniffled her extremity and knocked her forehead against Hea's finger. Once accepted, the youngest female proceeded to pet the dragon with the rest of her hand.

"Did you take care of Rye?"

The tiny green baby chirped.

"Good."

"For someone who 'hates' dragons you sure are friendly with that piece of trash." The sound of a mug hitting the kitchen table made both girls glance upward. Finished with his meal (and making certain to leave the mess for Hea) Dagur stood up.

"Watch it." Rye threw a hiss in the older male's direction.

"Or else what?" He smirked, cocking his head to the left. "You'll sic your flying lizard on me?"

To reply or to let it go? Decisions, decisions. The option of really letting him have it came to her mind but just the idea of what he could do in retaliation made her freeze mentally. Would it be worth it to make him angry with a few smart words? Would making him angry send him to a crazed fit where he destroyed everything in sight? Ugh! Why was he so unpredictable?

 _Best play it safe. For now._

"Hea," Rye looked back up to her taller, yet younger sister. "Did everything go okay last night? Nothing… _happened_?"

"We had a pretty quiet night." The tired girl said with a slow nod. "Had stew. There's still some on the stove if you want any."

Whoa, she was either really out of it or really 'whipped into shape' by the Berserker leader that stood in the dining area. Odds were she was just tired but it still didn't make her nerves any less wracked. After all the last forty-eight hours had been pretty hectic.

"Nah, I'm good. Did you eat breakfast yet?"

"Not yet."

"Get to it." Rye said with a half smirk and hardy pat to her sister's back.

With a quick salute Hea turned on her heel and made a beeline for the kitchen. With that taken care of it, the gardener stepped further into the home, eyes on Dagur the entire time; after all it wasn't like he'd earned her trust yet. Just because he managed _one night_ without ripping his sister apart didn't mean he was worthy of her trust! He was gonna hafta do a lot more than that to get her on his side. After the last stunt he pulled, he had a lot to make up for.

Almost like he could read her mind, he kept his eyes on her just as she did on him. Only he had a devilish smirk equipped on his cheeky face. He _wanted_ her to say something, she knew that much. He wanted to her to mess up and give him an excuse to do something despicable. He wasn't as slick as he liked to think; in fact he was easier to read than Snot. Maybe because he was just as stupid and twice as cocky as the shorter black-haired male.

Just as she came to the end of the table, opposite of Dagur, she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her bust. At that moment, he released his arms from his chest and let them fall to his sides. More games, great. Just before she could part her lips to speak she watched as he moved his right hand outward to the table. Once there he extended his digits to his near empty breakfast plate and grabbed at the single piece of bacon that sat on the plate.

Wait a second! That was _her_ bacon! The bacon she'd been _saving_! Rye felt her drop open all the while he continued to move the piece of meat in to his mouth, in slow motion almost like he was teasing her!

"HEY!" She barked loud enough to startle the tiny dragon on her shoulders. "I was saving that!"

"What?" He asked, moving what food he had chewed to the right side of his mouth, "This?"

"Yes! How—" Rye spun around, to see her sister leaving the stove with a plate in hand. "Hea! He's eating my bacon! Please tell me you didn't give him all of it!"

"Nope," The sound of his deeper voice made her whirl back around. "There's still _this_ left." He then proceeded to wiggle the small bite of pig still trapped between his fingers. "What? Do you _want_ it Were you _saving_ it?"

"Hea!"

"I'm sorry," The cook let her head hang just a tad. "He threatened to throw more of my food against the wall if I didn't cook it. I'll replace it, I promise."

"He _WHAT_?!" By this point Phobos had left her shoulder and crawled over toward the couch, no doubt to find some kind of shelter.

"He didn't like my flapjacks so they ended up on that wall," She removed her right hand from the bottom of her plate and pointed toward the southern wall with her finger. "Bug got most of the syrup but I was able to rub most of the stain out."

Like someone had pulled her strings, Rye turned around and looked across the room to said disaster area. At about waist height was a perfect round circle where, without a doubt, the pancake had landed. And while all the mess like plate shards and sticky syrup were long gone, the fury growing in her gut almost made her explode. How could he _do_ such a thing?! It went beyond rude and nasty it was just plain… _evil_.

No, she couldn't get mad now. She had to let this go! Just for now, just until they could work this shit out! Get the bastard off their island and get back to normal life. She could _do this_.

"How _unfortunate._ " Rye gulped hard and clenched her jaw. "I hope this doesn't _happen again_." She spoke through her grinding teeth, her eyes landing squarely on the cause of the problem. "Let's all try to get _along_ , okay?"

"But back to this delicious bacon," Dagur spoke out again, grabbing all the eyes in the room. "Did you want this last sliver? I wouldn't be a very gracious guest if I didn't offer you at least _some_."

Rye's front teeth bit down on her bottom lip. "No thank you."

"What?" He leaned inward, using his left hand to cup his left ear. "Did you say something little mouse?"

 _Little mouse?!_ How dare he?! _Keep it together Rye, keep it together. For Hea's sake._

"Is that really necessary?" Hea shot a glare in the male's direction, one that made the Berserker return to his normal, pouty stance. "Come on, you know that's not okay. Don't do that."

"You're talking back to _me_?" He fought back, nearly spitting his question at her more like a demand.

Time to break this shit up now. Before it got any worse! "I said 'no thank you'." Rye spoke louder this round, loud enough to catch the madman's attention. He looked back at her with a rather satisfied look on his stupid face.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But ah well, it's your choice." One lazy shrug later, he opened his yap and proceeded to shovel _her_ bacon down his piehole. Fucking jerk.

"I hope it at least tasted good."

"Oh, I was supposed to _taste_ it?" A single crimson brow lifted on the man's sharp features. "I just horked it down, you see that's what food's for."

That's it! Totally it, done, over with, finished, and the end! This was the last straw; she couldn't go on like this, letting him think he was the king of the fucking world! She had to let him know that _no one_ liked him and _no one_ wanted him! He wasn't some great person; he was a lowlife, selfish, greedy, bastard child!

"Hea," Rye looked to see her sister a fourth of the way done with her meal. "Do you mind taking Bug outside for a minute? I have to talk to Dagur _alone_."

"O…kay." Hea dropped both her fork and knife. "This isn't anything bad, is it? All I need is you two fighting."

"It's gonna be fine, I promise." She watched her sister leave the chair at the table and stroll over toward the front door. "I just want to talk and I don't want to stress you out. Please."

The taller female inhaled a deep breath via her nostrils before giving a shallow nod. "Come on Bug, out."

Taking the hint the sheep herder gathered her pup and together they met at the front door. Hea popped open the frame and exited the home with Bug. Rye waited for the moment the door shut to stop and turn to the male standing about five feet away. By this point he had taken both of his arms and once again tied them to his wide chest. The look of displeasure had come over his features, leaving her to assume that he knew a scolding was coming. He looked like such a kid standing there with that pouted lip. Was that the look he gave Oswald when the agreeable man had something to punish Dagur about?

"Now what is this about?" He huffed, was he anxious about what she had to say?

"You know you have a lot of nerve." Rye felt the tenseness in her jaw give way as she began speaking in a normal tone. "Coming around here and treating my sister like that. How dare you throw her food around like garbage? Her food means everything to her."

"It wasn't good enough." He grunted, taking any break between her words to speak his own.

"I don't care if it was the nastiest food you've ever eaten." She broke in when she had the chance before he could get anything else in. "You have no idea what she's done for you."

"HER?" His right arm broke free from his chest and pointed at the door her sister had just gone through. "That _girl_? What in THOR'S name did that little thing done for me? She makes a decent stew if that's what you're saying."

"If you haven't noticed, she's the only one here."

"Of _course_ she is." His green eyes rolled. "I asked that she would be the only one here, I didn't want some stupid Hooligan camp out in _my_ living room."

"That's not what I meant."

"Do tell."

"No one wants you here." Even though it was true and she was mad enough to scream the statement from the top of the highest peak of Berk, the words still stung coming out. But only because it was the one thing she was sure she wouldn't want to hear on the opposite end.

"Don't you think I—"

"No." For the first time _ever_ , she interrupted the older boy. " _No one_ wants _you_ here. You aren't wanted here ever, get it? You've done some really terrible things and endangered a lot of people's lives in the process. And because of that, no one likes you."

He went silent.

"I'm not a Viking so I'm not a violent person and I think that I tend to often forgive but…" Her heart slammed in her chest cavity. "I can't forgive this. I was willing to give you a second chance when it came to the whole 'dragon thing' because it didn't hurt my sister. She wasn't here for that."

He began more ridged the further she carried on, his arms crossing over his chest once again.

"But you came back. You took our house, kicked Bug out last night, and disrespected her by throwing her food but most of all you're taking her _away_." The dragon nurse could feel her eyes burning, just aching to cry. "And you know _what_? She vouched for you."

His eyebrows lifted slightly, almost as if he were interested in what he was hearing. At least that meant he was listening.

"Even though you did so many cruel things, not only to the dragons but to her, she still wanted to give _you_ a chance. She told everyone when you were in your meeting that we should give you a shot and _trust_ you." Her hands clenched at her sides. "That we should give you the benefit of the doubt."

" _You guys gave dragons a chance. Even when we thought they were monsters. We should give him a shot too."_

"She sympathized with you because she doesn't like dragons either. She's the only person here who has faith and trust in you but only because she wasn't here to see what you did. Then you _disrespect_ her. How _dare_ you?"

" _It's hard. It's really hard to come home and have_ everything _you ever known and believed in flip upside down. One day dragons are evil, terrible monsters and the next… it's all different."_

"Stoick isn't stupid and neither am I. I know what you're trying to do." Rye released the grip of her fists and took in a deep breath. "You can try but it's not gonna work."

Silence. Was all of this sinking in? Deep, deep inside her heart she wanted this to sink in. She wanted him to hear what she was saying and maybe take his stupid ass back home. Maybe if he had a warning now that his plan was whack he, if he was smart, would turn tail and run. But her head knew better.

Her head knew that he wouldn't take this as a warning; he'd take it like a challenge. He'd want to prove her wrong. He was going to do his damnedest to prove he was the best and destroy Berk. Her head knew that for certain. Either way in the end it didn't matter what he said or did because they'd stop him. He wouldn't get far because _she_ had faith in the people she cared about.

"And your point _is_?"

The sound of him replying made her stomach drop. And of course there went her hope that anything wise she said had sunk in.

"Just don't do that again, don't disrespect her again." Rye lifted her right hand and pointed at him. "Think about what she's done for you and treat her the way she deserves to be treated. Other than that, enjoy your stay while you can."

"Oh, I intend to. Thank you."

Act End.


	13. Act Thirteen

La Coordination

Act Thirteen

He left the stillness and silence of his temporary home only to have his eardrums ring with the instant, irritating, annoying, glass-shattering sounds of _Hiccup_ and his pathetic group of friends chatting like a flock of senseless chickens. Why in Thor's name did they have to gather around the front of _his_ home? Temporary or not, this was _his_ property for the time being.

Of course there _was_ the option of hammer throwing them across the village one by one but was that really productive? Not if he wanted to stay in their good graces. He was smarter than them, much smarter and he wasn't going to fall into something as stupid as to foil his own plan. Act one had gone through without a hitch and neither would act two.

Dagur moved out from the door frame of the tiny home and into the mid-morning sun. How much longer was this sun and heat going to last? When was the last time any island in the region had such a long heat wave? Great, just another reason for Hiccup and his band of idiots to get under his skin even faster. And it wasn't even noon yet!

He mentally shrugged off the idea of the day becoming any hotter by stepping by the group of peahens. For whatever odd reason they had gathered around the front left side of the house. The Berserker leader squinted his eyes and narrowed in on the object of attention. Hea's four-eyed sister sat with her back against the brink home, yucking it up with the majority of the sorry excuses for Vikings.

What could _she_ possibly have to say that would bear any interest? From what he had gathered about her she used most of her day _reading_ or _writing_ or _gardening_ or even _caring_ for that pathetic dragon. How boring. Ah well, as long as they were talking to her, it meant that they weren't planning anything against him.

 _BORED._

With a grunt he stepped passed them and headed straight for the white chair located on the right side of the house. He was sure he'd heard one of Hiccup's dorks say that this was _'Hea's chair'_ like that made a difference in whether he wanted to sit in it. What? Was she going to come stomping out of the kitchen demanding she leave his seat? Psh, yeah right. Although seeing her _try_ would be a treat. More interesting than the shipwreck playing in front of him anyway.

"So Rye, what are you doing today? You're not working, right?" Hiccup's idiot of a cousin said as he stood right in front of the girl.

"Nah, I got plans actually." The long haired brunette answered with a weak smile. Huh, was she nervous or something?

"Aw, what?" The smaller male groaned and dropped his arms from chest-level.

"What, you got a boyfriend or something now?" Tuffnut laughed, being one of the three to invade the woman's personal space.

She flinched. "That's none of your business!" The older female fought back with more venom than he would have expected of her. Huh, was this where Hea got all of her spirit?

The blonde twin hummed for a short second before opening her big yap, "Oh, you're gonna leave us out of it then?" Ruffnut leaned into the four-eyed female at her side.

Rye lifted her right hand to her pink face and pushed back her hair. What the heck was she blushing for? It wasn't like that twin-man-child was right about her having a boyfriend. Was it? Ugh, it wasn't like it mattered anyway. Was this what the citizens of Berk did all day? Gossip?! There had to be something more interesting to do and this god forsaken dump.

A loud grunt broke his concentration. Dagur lifted his chin and flickered his vision north only to have a golden pair of eyes staring back at him. Hiccup's tamed Night Fury shot him a look that almost made him laugh. Oh, so the little dragon wanted to fight did he? Either that or he wanted to make sure to send the message that Berserkers were not welcome on Berk, clear. Well, that much was obvious. He didn't need some stupid reptile to remind him.

A second huff forced his eyes to bounce away from the Night Fury and to the right. At the black dragon's side sat the Deadly Nadder that belonged to Hiccup's little girlfriend. Oh so they were cahoots were they? Cute.

"I'm spending the day with Hea, if you have to know." Rye's smooth tone caught his interest once again. "We're going to the beach to have a picnic."

"Oh!" Snothat, or whatever he wanted to call himself, protested first. "Can we come?!"

The sound of his voice must have caught her off guard because the moment his pitch lifted, her shoulders tensed and she moved backward as far as possible before the wall prevented her from moving any further.

"Uh…" Her pink cheeks took on a deep shade of red.

"Come oooooon," Tuff whined as he moved into the woman as well. "We want food. We haven't had any of Hea's sandwiches in forever."

"This is supposed to be just for her and I." Rye's eyebrows flipped and an awkward smile cracked along her features. "A kind of sister-sister…thing."

"Hey, I'm a sister!" Ruff scooted in toward the defenseless female. "That means I can come right?"

" _Well_ …"

"Don't be like that." Tuffnut curled his upper lip just as his arms crossed over his skinny chest. "We _always_ invite you when we…do stuff. Whenever we do stuff. You know, even the boring… stuff."

"Yeah!" His follower of a sister added. "Don't be so stingy with your sandwiches!"

"Hey guys, come on. I think is supposed to be a family thing, leave Rye alone." From several feet across from them, Astrid piped up in her usual manner. What was she the boss of everyone or something?

"What, now were _not_ family?" Tuff directed his next plan of attack to the female leader of the losers. "After _all_ we've been through!"

While twin idiot number one complained like some kind of girl, Dagur looked back to Hea's sister. The stiffness of her shoulders had eased away and instead she slumped forward. She wasn't actually feeling _bad_ about saying 'no', was she? It was about time someone told those spoiled brats 'no'! Things always came easy for them; they wouldn't have survived a single day as a Berserker!

"Astrid's right guys; Rye and Heather haven't had a lot of time to themselves. We can go next time. Probably." Hiccup voiced his 'holy' opinion next, whether or not it would do any good, he'd see in the next few seconds.

"But we haven't hung out in like forever." Snothat whined once _again_ , this time directing his guilt toward the drained female.

"I just spent the night at your house." Rye responded, the vigor in her tone going away by half.

"But that was business!" He bit back, his bellyaching taking all the previous strength from Rye's refusal. "This is for fun. There's a huge difference."

She wasn't just going to give in, was she? Gah, where did the good old fashion Viking command go in these youngsters? Sure, Hea and Hea's sister weren't Vikings by birth but they'd been around the Hooligans long enough to know when so stand up and bark. This was just sad.

"Come on Fishlegs," Tuffnut glanced over his right shoulder, eyes landing on the biggest member of their pack. "Back us up. We need another vote here."

"What?" Snot-face turned and shot a glare at the long haired blond. "We already have three votes. We're ahead!"

"So _my_ vote doesn't count?" Rye's expression dropped.

"Nah, you already get to go!" Ruff smirked, leaning even more so into the older woman. "And besides, Snotlout, your vote doesn't count either."

"Hey! Why not?!"

A snort-like laugh came from the male twin and grabbed the surrounding eyes. "'Cause if you _do_ come, you'll end up eating twice as much as anyone."

"That's not fair!" The smaller boy stamped his right leg and balled his hands at his sides. "I'm a growing boy, I need more food! Look at these pecs." And in the most unflattering manner, Snothat proceed to grab the ends of his shirt like he was going to lift it up.

"No!" Ruff's thin arms crossed over her eyes. "Avert your eyes children!"

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Hiccup chimed in from his side of the 'playground', his words halting any further movement from his cousin. "We shouldn't tagalong. Fishlegs," He paused, turning to the new subject of interest. "Tell them you don't want to go and let's end all of this."

Dagur's green eyes flickered in the big boy's direction. The tall blond stopped, almost like he had to think about his decision. He moved his left arm across his chest and balanced his right elbow on his stationary wrist. With his right hand, his stroked his chin. What the hell was taking so long? It was either a 'yes' or 'no'! Well, it was going to end up being a 'no' for all of them eventually, seeing as Hea was going to throw out the idea as soon as she came outside.

 _What's taking that girl so long?_

She'd put an end to this. From what he'd seen, she wasn't one to put up with these kid's shi-

"I think my vote's gonna go with Snotlout and the twins on this one." Fishlegs turned to Hiccup with a half-smile.

"What?" Astrid lifted a brow. "You're supposed to be on our side, the _reasonable_ side!"

"But you know Tuff's right. We haven't had any good food from Hea in a while and it's been two hours since breakfast." Fishlegs allowed his arms to hit his sides.

"Really?" Hiccup frowned.

"Hey, I'm not gonna lie here."

"So anyway," Tuffnut turned back to Rye, his eyes wide and smile growing. "We're coming with you! Our votes win! It's official now, there's no going back."

"Come on Rye, pleeeeeeeease?" Snothat moved back in toward the eldest female, wearing a sorry look on his pathetic face.

"I…" The four-eyed female hesitated. "I don't…I mean…ugh geez."

Before the woman could finish the sound of footsteps at the front doorway of the tiny home forced Dagur turn away from the teenage drama. Sighing and with her hand in her hair, Hea stepped out of the frame and into the sun. The area grew quiet after she took a single step into the grassy ground. Taking note of the sudden silence, the female flinched, finished running her fingers through her locks and gazed upward.

"What?" She asked, eyes bounced back and forth.

The moment Hea's brown eyes landed on the group of three Viking teens surrounded around her sister, her face tightened. Her heavy brows darted down and she shot a glare toward the offending trio. "Guys, back off Rye. Give the woman some air."

Huh. Dagur felt his arms come across his chest. What was this about? Why was she being so subtle with those idiots? She wore her usual scowl but her voice was unusually calm. What was her problem? She wasn't going to use the same old 'I'm tired' excuse again, was she?

 _These people have never worked a real day in their lives._

"We heard about the picnic and we wanna come!" Snothat explained as he and the twins did as told and backed away from the nurse. "Can we?"

The strain on Hea's face fell away almost in an instant, leaving her right eyebrow cocked and bottom lip tilted. "What? No, this picnic was for Rye and I only."

 _Good._

"But we really want to come," Ruffnut batted her eyes. "We want to hang out with you guys! You know like the old days!"

" _Old days_?" Rye's tone lifted just a bit. "Like last week?"

"Exactly!"

"You know you want us to come." Tuffnut leaned forward and shot a smirk at the short-haired chef. Almost like he was trying to appeal to her. "We're the life of the party. It'd be boring without us!"

Instead of giving an answer, Hea looked away from the Vikings and to her sister. From the angle she was standing he could only see the back side of her face but her body remained loose. Huh, she wasn't actually considering letting those fools come along, was she? No! She had more pride than that! He'd seen it for himself!

" _It's not junk."_

Then again. There had been times where she hadn't put up any fight. This _couldn't_ be one of those times.

" _I've had a really, really long and unforgiving day so I'm not going to fight right now."_

"Hea, we won't go if you don't want us too." Astrid's voice caught the younger sister's attention. "We understand that. _Right_ guys?"

"Speak for yourself." Tuffnut muttered under his breath.

"But your sandwiches are _so_ good!" Snot-whatever clapped his hands together. "We're _dying_ for your food! It's your duty as a chef to feed people, isn't it?"

Hea pouted both lips and narrowed her eyes at the dark-haired shrimp. "Cheeky little rat."

"So," He leaned in, smirk on his face now stretching from ear to ear. "Is that a yes?"

She paused for a second, taking in breath of air loud enough to be heard by anyone within close distance. She was really thinking about this? Ugh, no. While in her moment silence, she lifted both of her arms to her chest and crossed them. Her fingertips clenched the clothes they touched and she proceeded to shift her weight to left leg.

"We don't have all day!" Tuff snapped, losing all of his 'gentleman' charm by throwing his arms into the air.

"That isn't helping." Hea's shoulders stiffened.

With her head shaking in the slightest way, the girl cook moved her eyes away from the blond dimwit and over toward her sister. In the same instance, Rye turned to her. They both remained still for a prolonged second; staring at one another almost like they were talking in silence. The two girls hadn't come up with some super-secret way of communicating, had they? Was that some sort of battle strategy or something? Hm, it was something to keep in mind either way.

"Rye?"

The oldest female of the group inhaled via her nose just like her younger sister had done a moment earlier. As she exhaled through her mouth, the ends of her lips curled. The smallest of smiles appeared on her freckled face.

"It's okay."

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yeah." The dragon nurse, or whatever she wanted to call herself, said almost in defeat. "Just as long as we get some time together later; you're still not leaving for a while, so this is fine. I guess."

 _Oh, I'll be the judge of how much time she has left on this blasted island._ Dagur felt a deep frown set in. Oh wonderful, that meant the whole day was going to be ruined by Hiccup and his clowns.

How was he supposed to get a decent meal when those _children_ fluttered around the beach? Just the thought of their immature games and antics was enough to give him indigestion!

"Really?!" Snot-face darted to Hea's side with a grin.

"Sounds like it." The short-haired woman stepped away from the Viking teens and went to stand next to her older sibling.

"Aw, yeah!" Ruffnut leapt from her seat. "When do we take off?!"

"Later," Hea answered first, no real surprise there seeing as bossiness was her only _useful_ personality trait. "Now I hafta make _more_ food. That's gonna take like an hour. Ugh, just when I _thought_ was done cooking too."

"Are you sure this is okay with you guys?" Hiccup stood from his seat on the stone several feet away. "We can wait, really."

Just when he was sure that _Hiccup the Useless_ would never be good for anything! Maybe this was the moment the sisters would reconsider their choice and _end_ this stupid social party. If there was anyone could go talk, or preach some sense into a gaggle of idiotic teens it was their peahen-leader.

Rye sat up straight while her features softened and appeared to relax from the apparent stress she'd been feeling before. "Yeah, it's okay. It'd be fun."

Hiccup's freakishly large green eyes flickered to Hea.

"I don't mind."

 _What?!_ _Where did all of that fiery passion go?!_ Dagur's jaw dropped in the slightest and before he could find any words, he looked back to Hiccup. _Say 'no', you idiot!_

"Well…" The talking fishbone linked his hands to his waist.

 _Don't you dare, you waste of breath, flesh and—_

"If you're sure it's okay, yeah. We'll hang around for a bit." He _smiled_ like he _accomplished_ something.

No way! Absolutely not! Not for a single hour, minute, second or blink of the eye! That shrimp had no right to assume he was allowed to come! This wasn't something he was _invited_ to; he'd just forced his way into coming! No! He wouldn't stand for this…this _injustice_.

Dagur tore his arms away from his chest and jumped from his chair. He landed on his two feet with a solid thud. The sound stopped any further planning and conversation and forced all eyes his way. Good. They better be ready to pay attention. At the end of all of this, it was _his_ say what they did and what they didn't do! Hea was _his_ personal chef and employee, she wasn't just going to stop and work for _them_.

Not without a price.

"No! No we will _not_ 'hang around for a bit'!" He snapped, gripping his fists tight and marching into the center of the social gathering. "This picnic is for me, Chef and Chef's sister! You _Hooligans_ weren't invited."

"What?" The sound of Rye's voice caught his eye. "When we first planned this, _you_ weren't invited either. This was _supposed_ to be just Hea and I."

"Of course I was included." Dagur made sure to shoot the oldest female a glare. "Wherever my chef goes, I do. After all, she is _supposed_ to cook _my_ food. What did you expect me to do while you were lazing around at the beach? Starve?"

"I was actually gonna leave you a lunch…" Hea muttered, eyes darting to the ground.

"No, you can't come." Tuffnut groaned, slumping back against the rock he sat on. "You'll wreck the whole thing."

"Well I am coming. That's a final order."

"Order?" Astrid said, brow lifted. "You don't _order_ us around. You are still on Berk, you know."

"I might be an honored guest on your dump of an island but I still make the rules when it comes to the girl." He replied and nudged his chin in Hea's direction.

"You don't _own_ her!" And of course her _sister_ has to make a scene and voice her opinion.

"Technically," The Berserker formed a smirk on his lip and took a few steps toward the pair of city sisters. "You're right. Right now, she's just a trial run but I still have rights. I have to know she's gonna be a listener and not a _traitor_ and if she's gonna have a mind of her own, I just might to get a refund."

"Harsh!" Hea shouted. "Hey, I've been nice to you!"

"As if that matters," He continued. "Unless you _don't_ want that peace treaty signed."

"Alright, alright." Hiccup made the grave mistake of approaching him, hands lifted in defense. "Let's not do this now. This is a _picnic_ we're talking about here. Can we not start a war over a lunch?"

"Oh how easy for you to say, Hiccup." Dagur snarled and felt his muscles tense with each step the chief's son made in his direction. "Let me guess, you're going to suggest _I_ stay here while _you_ _all_ enjoy private friend time?"

Said boy's darted left then right. "Yeah, actually that's exactly what I was going to say."

"So _I_ can get some peace and quiet while _you all_ can be as loud and obnoxious as you want?"

"Uhhh. Yeah." He answered, stance going limp.

"If you know everything already, why are you arguing?" Snothat chimed in as if Hiccup needed help.

"Number one," Dagur began in a softer tone than before and made his way toward Stoick's sorry excuse for a son. "I don't take suggestions from a runt. Two, how do you expect me to sit back here and just _allow_ you all to go about your merry way _together_ and with your _dragons_ , hm? How do I know you all weren't planning this from the start?! To leave me behind and plan a sneak attack! I _know_ your sort."

"Whoa, man." Ruff grimaced from her seat beside chef's sister. "Take a breath. You're paranoid."

"Paranoid or just being smart? I'll be the judge of that."

"Dagur," The migraine-inducing sound of Hiccup's voice made the older warrior twitch. "We aren't planning _anything_. We just happened to hear that Hea and Rye were going on a picnic and we wanted to come. It's nothing, you're overreacting."

A sudden burning sensation in his gut fueled him to break any kind of personal barrier and make a beeline for Stoick's boy. Once satisfied with the two or three inches separating them, he bent forward in the slightest and made eye-to-eye contact with the fishbone.

"No one, _no one_ , tells _me_ when I'm overreacting." Dagur huffed, upper lip itching to spasm. "If I say something's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I'm _going_ on that picnic, whether you like it or not."

"Do we have to make this a bigger deal than it is?" The brown-haired boy replied, brows hanging low on his face.

"If I say so."

"Come on! Knock it off!" He heard Rye's voice from afar but he refused to look her way. "It's a lunch on the beach for Odin's sake!"

He'd back down for now but only because causing a scene now would make _him_ look like the bad guy and that wasn't what he needed right now. He needed to gain their trust, he needed them to think that he was innocent of all sins before he could creep up from beneath them and destroy them. He needed to be, even if he shuddered that the thought, _civil_ for now.

"Fine." Dagur cleared his throat before backing away from Hiccup. "But we're going to go and we're going to _enjoy_ ourselves. Got it?"

From across the small front yard, Ruffnut lifted her hand to her forehead. "Aye, aye captain."

Act End.


	14. Act Fourteen

La Coordination

Act Fourteen

This heat wave was way unusual for Berk. Sure, it did get a bit warmer during the summer months but to have _this_ kind of heat was a special kind of treat. Having a picnic on the beach was something special too, especially because everyone was together. How often did this happen? Not as much as it should, that was for sure. Having everyone around, relaxing was picture he could get used to, even _if_ Dagur had come along.

Hiccup sat with his knees to his chest and both arms on the warm rock he sat above. With the picnic basket at his left and Dagur just beyond that, he glanced up to see his gang of buddies sitting feet away from him. While it was quiet for one rare moment, the others had their minds busy with something or other.

Rye sat beside Fishlegs and Snotlout with a ribbon clenched between her teeth. She worked her fingers through her long, wavy hair, taking it up into a ponytail. With it pulled back she took the necessary steps to fold her hair into a tight bun. Huh, must have been too hot to have her hair down. Not that he'd know that feeling.

Snotlout watched the oldest female with a stare that wouldn't let up. Almost like he'd snuck a sip of Gobber's famous ale, he watched her through a set of cloudy eyes. His cheeks flashed a shade of pink bright enough to notice under the midday sun.

Meanwhile Fishlegs had caught himself up in some sort of fishing lure project on the side. Was he planning on trying to catch more food or something? That was fine if he wanted to. The idea of using a stick and worm seemed so primitive compared to the new technique of using their dragons.

With the reptiles in mind, Hiccup lifted his chin and gazed to the far left to see the pack of dragons, all laying down and resting in the light. With both Dagur _and_ Hea in the mix of the picnic, it was a better idea to keep them at a distance. All he needed was for Toothless to sneak a sandwich off of Dagur's plate; that would state the next war for sure.

"Hurry up! I want my hair done next!" The sound of Ruffnut's lower voice made the dragon tamer turn her way.

"Just a sec," Hea's voice caught his ears next. "I'm almost done here."

The baker sat behind Astrid, with her fingers strung through the blonde's beautiful locks. With a gentle touch, she pulled back on her hair, gathering it into a single handful just as Rye had done moments earlier. Ah, so all the girls wanted their hair up today, did they? Cute. It's nice to see them all getting along, seeing as girls fought worse than boys.

In the past Ruffnut and Astrid had some very heated arguments and although they were rare, they were intense. Girls seemed to be _sneakier_ and _meaner_ than guys when it came to fighting. It doesn't help knowing that females are almost always smarter than males. They could say some _mean_ things when they had the ammo.

"Who's gonna do mine?" Ruff spoke out again, legs crossed and hands clenching her ankles.

"Whoever gets done first." Rye said, undoing her near-perfect bun and trying at it once again. "I can't get this right!" She muttered just under her breath, taking the ribbon between her teeth for a second time.

"What?" The female twin's jaw dropped. "That was fine, why'd you undo it?! I want my turn!"

A chuckle came from the right side of the over-sized rock. "You know, you look _just_ like Bug when you beg." Hea continued to giggle through her words. "Big 'old eyes and pouty lip."

Just as the sheep herder finished her sentence, a loud pitched laughter made all the eyes in the area turn to the male twin. With his arms crossed behind his head as a makeshift pillow, he laid down to face the sun. The moment he began to laugh he tilted his head back, shut his eyes and let his chuckles loose, giving a snort every now and then.

"I do not!" His sister bit back. "Shut up over there!"

"But it's cute." Hea added, her extra comment only adding fuel to Tuffnut's fire.

At least _those_ two could get along enough to make each other laugh. It wasn't very often that Hea and Tuff went without fighting but when they did they were thick as thieves. Especially when they were younger. As kids, he'd follow her lead most of the time but something happened somewhere down the line to where he'd pick fights with her constantly.

"You know you have the most beautiful and soft hair." Hea's voice again caught Hiccup's attention. "I would die to have hair like this." She moved her digits through the ends of Astrid's ponytail.

"Thanks," The blonde responded in a chipper tone. "I try to take special care of it."

"It's workin'."

 _Good to see you two are getting along too_.

"If I had hair like this, I woulda kept my hair long." The herder swooned.

"Oh yeah!" Snotlout broke out of his lovesick stupor to answer Hea's call. "I remember when you had long hair!"

"Hehe," Tuffnut piped in, "That old rat's nest? I wish I could forget it."

The object of teasing twitched hard, no doubt giving Astrid a tug on accident.

"Remember when you had long hair, Hea?" Snot continued, "That was back when you were a _girl_."

"If I recall correctly," Astrid stepped in, voice calm and cool as always. "You were _both_ girls back then."

As if on cue, Tuffnut's laughter came back tenfold. This time the blond male sat up on his backside and grabbed at his sides. He rocked back and forth, snorting and choking on his giggles all the way. Snotlout shouted something in the background, nothing of which Hiccup could make out given how loud Tuff was chuckling.

"Okay, okay." He said, finally breaking into the conversation. "Come on, can we have a single picnic without name calling?"

"Yeah but it's less fun that way." Fishlegs replied, eyes and hands still busy on his lure.

"Yeah, yeah." Snotlout huffed, crossing his thick arms over his wide chest.

"I'm starving over here!" The unusual sound of Dagur's voice made Hiccup and the rest flinch. The rider turned left to see the Berserker pouting in the same way Snot was. "I don't care what you idiots plan on doing but I'm going to eat, _now_." The oldest male then made a mad dive for the basket barrier between them.

"Wait, wait."

Hea, finished with her work on Astrid, stood up from the stone and stepped over toward the madman. He turned up his nose at her almost in an instant and shot her the nastiest look. Even while presented with that glare and tone, she remained neutral. Huh, that was new.

"Don't you dare tell me to wait." Dagur growled, hands clenching the basket.

"I've made you your own food," Hea explained, being careful not giving the older male any positive/negative feedback. "That way you don't have to share."

Taken back by what looked like miles, Dagur retreated just for a second, releasing the basket from his grip and allowing the chef to work. She flipped open the woven container and reached down deep inside.

"He gets his _own_ food?" Snotlout whined five feet away. "How is that fair by _any_ means?"

Instead of arguing, the tired girl sighed through her nostrils and continued her search for the separated lunch. Wow, she wasn't going to answer? That was weird. Hea was _always_ revving for a fight whether it be with Snotlout _or_ Tuffnut. Then again, when it came to his cousin Hea sometimes got to the point when she just ignored him. Why? He wasn't sure _why_ but maybe it had something to do with the fact that an argument with Snotlout never ended when you fought back.

But then whenever Tuffnut had something to say, she fought back almost one-hundred percent of the time. Why was that? Eh, he wasn't sure but maybe that was just the way their relationship went. They _had_ been close as kids after all. Perhaps it was something left over since then? If she started ignoring Tuff's proposals to argue, then he had a real reason to worry. But until then…

"I bet you gave him all the food! There isn't gonna be enough for everyone now!" The shortest boy carried on his rant. "I call shenanigans!"

"It's only fair that I get all the food," Dagur answered Snot's call with one of his own. "I _am_ the biggest, strongest alpha male in this pathetic group, of course I get the best of the best and the _most_."

"Then that must mean Fishlegs gets the leftovers." Tuffnut again threw in his bit with the added bonus of a giggle-snort.

"Keep me out of this." The larger blond fought back.

"Look, chill out." Hea said, standing up while her back faced the group. "I made Dagur his own lunch, separate from everyone else. You guys will eat. Relax."

"I bet he got the best dessert too." Snotlout narrowed his dark eyes and pouted.

"Keep talking and he just might." Rye sighed, finally finished with her hair.

Hiccup was certain that he heard a 'not fair' come from his cousin's side of the rock but the visual of Hea turning around caught his eye. He watched as she took a moment to stretch before letting her eyes roam the area. Was she looking for a place to sit? Of course she was more than welcome to sit beside him; his right side was looking a little bare.

Her brown eyes looked left, at him, right then left once again. Just when he was sure she would look at him for the second time, her eyes shifted _away_. Her legs then began to move to her _left,_ away from him again. She strolled over to Dagur's left side and with all the grace of a full grown woman, took a seat. What? Why in the world would she…?

" _I'll back off."_

Oh…yeah.

"When are we even gonna start eating?! I'm boooooored." Snotlout yowled. "I say since Dagur's eating all the food and we're _all_ bored that we get the dragons and do some fishing." The dark haired boy paused, looked down to Fishlegs' lure and rolled his eyes. "Some _real_ fishing."

"I could catch something you don't know." Fishlegs protested, face tightening. "It's just might take some time, it's an art you know."

"You can't catch enough for everyone." Ruffnut huffed, her hair between Rye's delicate fingers. "I don't have all year to wait for dinner!"

"Yeah and that dragon idea is a really bad one." Hiccup felt his stomach drop. "We have _company_ remember?" His green eyes then darted over to Dagur and Hea.

"Yeah! Ixnay on Dagur-ay." Tuffnut sat up and pointed his index finger in the Berserker's direction. So much for being subtle.

"But if Hookfang and I went out we could catch enough fish for the whole group in _minutes_. Trust me, it'll be awesome." Snotlout placed both of his palms to his chest while presenting a wide, cocky smirk.

"Just forget it, it's a bad idea." Astrid turned to group sporting her new hair style. "We can't just get the dragons when _he's_ here. Besides, Hea packed enough food, right?"

Hiccup once again turned his attention to the female he cared for only to see her now laying on her back in the same fashion Tuffnut had minutes earlier. Wow, she had to be tired to stay out of this conversation.

"Yes." She answered after a moment or two of silence.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tuffnut lifted himself out of his seat and strolled toward the picnic basket. "I'm starving."

The slender blond made quick work of the woven container, popping it open and searching through the whole thing until his eyes landed on something appetizing. With both hands he dug on in and pulled out two hardy sandwiches. He then plopped to the floor in front of the basket and began to munch down on his food.

In his usual way, the oldest twin made _no effort_ to be polite about his eating process. Leaving his mouth open as he chewed and not caring about who or what was around him to judge his habits. Just the sound of the food moving through his mouth was enough to make anyone flinch but a strong twinge from the left caught Hiccup's eye.

"Do you mind?!" Dagur snapped, having waited until his mouth was clear in order to speak. "I can't STAND that! Eat like a human being you sorry excuse for a—"

"Knock that shit off, Tuff!" Hea shouted almost on cue with Dagur, now seated up right and glare directed toward said twin. "What the hell? That's disgusting!"

"You think his mother never taught him any manners!" The redheaded tribe leader added. "I can't stand it when people eat with their mouths open! It _infuriates_ me!"

"Same here!" Hea barked, not missing a beat between Dagur's rants. "Makes my skin crawl! My dad used to do it all the time, it almost drove me nuts!"

"You too?" The tone in the Berserker's tone died down a bit, leaving him subdued than seconds before. "I can _not_ tell you how many times I nearly killed my father for eating like that! EVERY time at EVERY meal!"

"Gah!" The sheep herder grabbed at the roots of her hair and pulled. "I ended up leaving the room all together! I love that man but I can't _stand_ that shit!"

"Did this just get really weird or what?" Tuffnut said just feet away, food still in his left side of his mouth.

"And the teeth sucking!" Dagur carried on in the background while Hea nodded with a little _too_ much enthusiasm.

"Don't forget the sound of the knife against the plate! Why in the world do they need to cut their meat so hard?!"

"Are they bonding over what they hate?" Astrid cocked a single brow while folding her arms over her bust. "That's pretty strange."

"Yeah, I think so actually." Hiccup lifted his hand to his forehead and pushed back the stray hairs that fell in front of his face.

"Should we encourage that?" A look of concern _and_ confusion washed over Fishlegs' face.

"Hey it could be worse, they could be at each other's throats, right?" Snotlout gave a single shrug of his heavy shoulders. "Beats having them argue all the time."

Where did that sudden burst of energy come from? Moments ago the sheep herder was too tired to even sit up and answer Astrid with eye contact but here she was now, upright and looking rather lively! It wasn't like the subject of Tuffnut's terrible table manners was the only thing that kept her 'alive'. In fact why had she come to life so easily just when _Dagur_ starting talking? What he had to say wasn't that important, was it? Then again she did have someone to agree with, maybe that was it? That had to be it.

 _It's not like their friends or anything_.

No, they would make a terrible pair of friends. Right?

Act End.


	15. Act Fifteen

La Coordination

Act Fifteen

"So we're gonna take off. You sure you're going to be okay here?" The words from Hiccup's little girlfriend made the Berserker roll his eyes. "With _him_?"

"I'm not worried about it." His chef answered, eyes half lidded, and yawn no doubt teasing her lungs. "Go on, get outta here."

"We're not going to be gone long." Hiccup cut in in the most obnoxious way possible. "Toothless and the others just need to stretch their wings and we'll be right back."

A low grunt forced Dagur to lift a brow and glance over his shoulder. Several feet away the prized Night Fury stood, his whole body shaking and trembling. Was it excited about flying or something? Like the way a dog gets eager about going on a walk? Psh, simple-minded creature.

"Take your time." Chef answered as she leaned back on her open palms, stretching her back out. "I might even take a nap."

The urge to bite back caught the crimson-headed warrior off guard. He shifted in his seat and grinded his back molars together. What was with this girl and sleeping? Was she sick or something? The female beast of burden never seemed to get enough rest!

"Okay but if there _are_ any problems," Astrid's eyes settled on him squarely. "Make a break for it. Stay safe."

Oh for Odin's sake, were they that anxious about everything? And they had the audacity to call _him_ paranoid! For mental notes sake he would have to make certain that this small group of Vikings would be put to work in the worst department when he took over the island. The worst jobs of all, and they would be slaves to it! Ah, it was enough to make him shutter in his combat boots.

"If you're going to go, just leave already." Dagur braked just as the feeling of shivers worked through his body.

"Alright, alright." Hiccup's hands flew up. "We're gonna take off in a second okay?"

And cue the longest second in Viking history.

"Hey Rye, wanna ride with me?"

The sound of pathetic begging and desperate flirting made the older male's ear twitch. Refusing to give the fishbone or his girlfriend anymore of his attention, he turned to see Snothead addressing the Mouse. This road again? At least the idiot had the sense to get up when he was knocked back. Whether it was admirable or not was still to be seen.

"I'll be gentle." He said, closing in on the deal with Chef's sister, dark brows wiggling all the way. "Promise."

Rye's right hand lifted to her pale face and one moment later she broke into a light round of giggles. _Girlish giggles_ , the kind that made him twinge with disgust. And even while he fought back the urge to gag, he watched as the eldest female relaxed her features enough to brighten into a full on smile. A tad of pink hit her cheeks as she moved her small hand away from her lips and finally she nodded her head.

"I just ate." Mouse's brows then flipped upside down, sending the short, fat Viking a look of sympathy.

What was with the sudden sweetness in her voice? And where was this sweetness when she was talking to him?! Sure she had stated before that he was not her favorite person but he at least deserved some kind of respect. Especially seeing as he was Berk's finest guest! But noooo! Here she was, ignoring him and speaking to the village idiot like he was someone to talk to. Like _he_ was important!

"Noone _wants_ you _here. You aren't wanted here ever, get it? You've done some really terrible things and endangered a lot of people's lives in the process. And because of that, no one likes you."_

Why was it that Snotface got the look of sympathy and baby talk while he received a good old fashion scolding? And of course while he would never, _ever_ admit that she got the better of him during that last conversation, she _did_. She tongue lashed him in the same way that his father would, leaving him nearly speechless. Damn woman, for a one as quiet as she was around her friends, she had a sharp tongue when it came to him.

"Ah come on," Hiccup's cousin crossed his arms over his chest in a rather playful manner before moving in even _closer_ to his prize. "It's not so bad! And like I said—"

"She heard what you said!" Ruffnut snorted from a dozen or so yards away.

"And it was gross!" Her brother accompanied her on her verbal assault.

And with that, Snothat unbound his arms from his chest and stamped his right foot, "You're cramping my style over here!"

"What style?!" The twin idiots replied in unison.

Was _this_ what the occupants of Berk did all day?! Ugh! Spoiled teenagers! All the noise was leading to a serious migraine episode. To think that one day these _children_ would one day be the leaders of this island. And if things would continue on the way it was going, then take over of the tribe would be easier than originally planned. Would these fools even be worthy of future servants? Maybe they'd be better off if he just got rid of them for good.

"It might be good for you to get used to flying on a full stomach." Hiccup's hair-raising voice brought the tribe chief back to his senses. "You never know when the time will come when you might have to fly."

"It isn't a _bad_ idea." Fishlegs added. "You know, we just might need you during an emergency."

"Ah." From the right Mouse lifted her hand up and strung her fingers through her long hair. The redness on her cheeks darkened, as everyone stared on and her chin lifted toward the sky. The sunlight reflected off of her handcrafted glasses, forcing the Berserker to strain for half a second.

"Oh come on." Dagur rolled his eyes, nerves beginning to flare more than usual.

"What do _you_ think?" Mouse then glanced to her sister.

"It doesn't bother me. Just as long as Snot isn't too crazy. Get out there." Chef answered with a smile.

"I won't get crazy if Rye doesn't." Snotface replied right away while wearing a disturbing smirk.

"Cut that out!" Tuffnut shouted once again from the sidelines.

"Oh alright, fine." A smile crossed her delicate features while her red cheeks shone to the point where the freckles on her cheeks stood out even more so than usual.

Wait, what? She was going to actually ride with Snothat? The round-headed fool managed to win her over enough to get some one on one time with her? He _won_ his prize? This was new…

 _New_ and _potentially convenient._

This conversation had happened before, maybe not with the same words or under the same conditions but this subject had been brought to light once before.

" _What, you got a boyfriend or something now?"_

Yes, the male twin had brought up something similar a number of hours ago. And her response?

" _That's none of your business!"_

Hm. So she was embarrassed about it, was she? Typical school girl. _But_ this could be useful, very useful if he played his cards right. Time would soon tell if he could use this situation to his advantage but in the foreseeable future, things seemed pretty damn bright. Maybe all this Berk gossip would finally be worth listening to.

With his two muscular arms, Snotbrain literally leapt with joy, bringing his wrists high above his head. "YES! SCORE!"

"Psh," Mouse linked her fists to her hips, strayed her eyes elsewhere and pursed her lips. "Let's just get going already."

"Alright, are you _sure_ you two are going to be okay alone?" Hiccup asked one last time as if he actually cared or something.

"I'm good," Chef said, waving her hand a single time at the younger boy. "Seeing as I spent the whole day and night with him yesterday and no one cared, I'll be fine." She then managed to shoot the trainer a wink.

"Low blow." He pouted in return.

The urge to once again yell out loud during the teenager's banter tickled his throat but he resisted. The chance of missing any interesting information in the meantime was too enticing, even if he had to withstand a head-splitting migraine in between.

Although that didn't mean he couldn't roll his eyes all the while. And just as his green eyes came to a full circle, something on the left caught his attention. A dark stare on _him_ made the Berserker freeze for half a second. Allowing his eyes to settle on the person sending him the stink eye, a blond male twin came into focus. With his noodle-like arms crossed over his flat, boney chest the boy who at one time called himself 'Buffnut' sent him a death stare that _almost_ rivaled his own.

 _Ooh, and what is this?_

"Alright guys! Ready?" Astrid spoke as she mounted her Nadder. "Let's hit the air!"

Instead of moving his vision elsewhere, Dagur kept his eyes on the stupid, pathetic excuse for a Viking, standing no more than ten feet away. Blue versus green, mountain versus feeble hill the two kept on one another. Until his weak-minded sister grabbed at his side; with two or three decent tugs to his arm, Tuffnut (or Buffnut whatever he wanted to call himself) relented and followed his sister in taking a seat on their two-headed dragon.

The idiot pack of friends gave their lame farewells, almost like they'd never see each other again, and ascended into the sky. Chef and Mouse gave an impressive performance in saying their good byes, almost as if he was going to leave with his servant while they were busy in the air. Either way they parted soon enough. Leaving him and his employee to themselves.

At least there would be some silence for a short period of time. Plus having his chef to himself left him with plenty of time to recondition her. If he could get her to turn on her precious buddies maybe then his ultimate plan would work all the more smoothly. But what was there to talk about? How could he dig into her psyche and break her from the inside out?

" _No. I hate dragons."_

Sure she _said_ that but then twenty four hours later she accepted that Terrible Terror into her home and even greeted it when _affection_. That wasn't the actions of someone who _hated_ dragons. What was all that about?

"How is it that you're one of the few people on Berk who hate dragons?" He asked, shooting her a glare. "For your sake, I hope you weren't _lying_ to me when you said you hated them."

"I wasn't, not really." She answered with a nasal sigh. "I've just had a lot of bad experiences with them in the past. They…" Her whole body tensed, head ducked between her shoulders and her front teeth bit down on her bottom lip.

She wasn't…scared of dragons was she? Everything in her position, stance and tone of voice told him otherwise. Hm, while he couldn't be sure yet, he might as well go on as if he knew for sure. Best to act confident even if he was wary of the truth. The more he got out of her, the better.

"You're _afraid_ of them aren't you?"

"No!" She whipped her head around faster than he would have expected out of her, "Like I said, I've just had some bad experiences! I don't like them! They _bother_ me."

"Uh-huh, sure." She was so totally afraid. Loser.

"Maybe…a tiny bit." Her head sunk deeper between her shoulders while her knees pulled upward toward her chest. "But not really."

Silence.

He needed to get to the bottom of this. No more beating around the bushes, time to find out the truth.

"What turned you into a coward anyway?" Dagur crossed his arms over his chest, not bothering to glance her way. "I know Berk people are stupid and cowardly to begin with but seeing as you're a city girl, you're twice as bad."

So something _terrifying_ must have happened to the small city slicker. Either that or the female had a low tolerance for things that bothered her and with that in mind he wouldn't put it passed her. After all, she wasn't anything special.

Why curiosity has suddenly stricken him he wasn't sure but he did _deserve_ to know. Besides, nothing else was keeping his attention at the moment, might as well pester her for answers. And if it made her uncomfortable to talk it was even more of a reason to pry answers from the deepest part of her stupid female heart.

"Maybe it's _because_ you're from the cities." He felt a grin cross his face as he spoke, nothing beat making his enemies feel bad about themselves.

"Kinda a long story actually." She answered in a tone that forced one crimson brow to arch. What was with that tone? Like she planned on answering without so much of a fight? Gah, how boring.

"I don't remember _requesting_ an answer," He said, finally turning his eyes toward her. "Tell me. I'm bored."

"Well, seeing as you're bored, I must." Chef gave a shallow roll of her eyes, one that made her look more annoying than usual. "And by the way, I _know_ I'm no Viking but I'm no coward either." Her lower jaw clenched but still, her eyes remained on the ocean before her.

"Could have fooled me."

"Nice." Her brows dropped.

Aw, did he hurt her feelings? Well, if it was as easy to hurt her feelings as it was to scare her, then he'd done his job just right. How else was he going to recondition her if he didn't get her worn down?

"I don't know if I'm as afraid of dragons as I am afraid of what they can do."

What? "That's stupid." He answered right away, "Dragons _are_ what they do. You have to afraid of the _dragon_ to be afraid of _what it does_." Did this shrew no know nothing or was she just trying to save herself from further embarrassment, either way it wasn't working in her favor.

"There's a total difference." She pushed off her hands and sat upright, her dark brown eyes still elsewhere.

"No there isn't, don't be an idiot."

Her shoulders dropped, almost as if her tolerance of his name calling was wearing on her. "You don't have to fear a rock, just what happens when someone throws it in your face."

"That's your reasoning?!" At the tone of his shouts, she turned his way. "No one on this planet is afraid of rocks. Your logic is just as stupid as you are."

"Hey, that was the best I got!" Her thick brows turned downward, making a sour expression erupt on her face. "If you want to believe I'm afraid of dragons, which I'm not, you can. Only babies are afraid of dragons nowadays."

"You can't lie to save your life."

"Maybe not."

"Then why are you trying?" Dagur released his arms from his chest. "Not only does it make you look like a liar, it makes you look stupid. Like a lying idiot."

"Look, okay, I'm kinda scared of dragons but I have a reason to be alright!" Chef's voice went in a higher tone than he'd heard from her before. Oh, was she getting excited?

Ah, now they were getting somewhere. The reconditioning process wouldn't be complete without some form of manipulation. This information could prove useful in a number of ways; he could always use this bit of history to completely turn this dumb girl against her friends and if that failed (and in no way could a plan this perfect fail) then at least he had this conversation as a form of entertainment. Something to take with him, a memory to laugh at whenever he needed it.

Double points for him in _any_ event.

"Do tell."

"Dragons can't be trained, that much is obvious right?" Her look of irritation washed away when her brows flipped upside-down and a frown tugged at her lips.

"Of course they can be trained!" His arms shot upward, how much did this girl _not know_? A single person couldn't be that stupid, could they? "Dragons are more trainable than dogs; it just takes the right kind of training! Not the pathetic type of schooling Hiccup gives! Dragons need a _stern_ hand; they need to know whose boss! That's all it takes."

"I don't think a dragon could ever be fully trained, that's just what I believe." She answered back, her melodramatic pout never once lifting.

"Truth and believing are two very different things." He huffed with a roll of his green eyes.

"Let me at least get to the point."

"Go on but it won't make you look any smarter."

"Fine." Once again she turned away from him, this time looking down at the oversized boulder they sat on. "A long time ago Rye was burnt by a Monstrous Nightmare that's all. It really scared me. I won't _bother you_ with the details but it really got to me. It _still_ gets to me."

Huh, then she and Snothat's dragon must get along _really_ well. Then again seeing as she can stay within twenty feet of the stupid lizard without any kind of hysterics meant Hiccup was doing some good in exposing her to dragons.

Not to mention that Mouse seemed to get along with Snotbrain's Nightmare. After all, she had no issues with jumping on its back and flying off into the distance. In fact, her biggest dilemma with flying was the fact that she'd only just eaten when the idiot asked her to accompany him. There wasn't any fear of the reptile, just nervousness about being social. Or so it seemed.

"Is that _it_?" He felt the urge to yawn and if he cared for the girl in any shape or form he would have wasted the breath, but this wasn't even worth that. "And here I thought you had a heart-tugging story of life or death between you and some mythical beast! What a disappointment."

"It was pretty bad for me, thank you for the human emotion over there." She lifted her right hand to the side of her face and pushed away the stray hairs in her face.

"Yeah for like a three year old. You 'city folk' really are spoiled when it comes to _real life_."

"There isn't a big difference between three and fourteen you know."

Wait. Fourteen? That was over four years ago. That was _just_ about the same time he saw her before she went on that 'long voyage'. Rye had an injury back then? And a _fresh_ injury at that. That meant that she had to have left right around the time her sister was hurt. Why would a reasonable person who claimed to love their sibling do something so selfish?

 _And the plot thickens._

"The last time I saw you, you were thirteen. Five years ago." Dagur lifted his right hand to his chin.

"Oooookay, yeah I guess?"

"That means that about six months into this horrific injury you're blabbing on about, you _left_ Berk." His eyes darted back to her, only to find her sitting up right as if someone had stabbed her in the back. "You _left_ Mouse."

"Mouse? You mean Rye?"

Rather than give an obvious answer to her obvious question, he carried on. "You mean to tell me, you left your sister while she was recovering from a dragon burn?"

He watched her brows touch the top of her forehead and her lips part in the slightest way. Was she surprised he found this bit of information out? No, it couldn't have been some kind of secret, could it? Oooooh, this was just too juicy to keep to himself!

"What a selfish little rat you've turned out to be."

"No, that's not what happened, you don't understand." Her voice picked up a rushed tone as she turned to face him.

"Oh I think I understand completely."

Her eyes welled. Her legs went limp, arms fell to her sides and frown set in deep. Wait, she wasn't going to cry, was she? Sure she wasn't a Viking but she had more pride than this to cry over something to trivial. Then again she was a city slicker…and a girl.

The salty beach air ruffled through her thick, untamed hair and her eyebrows touched the very top of her forehead. She seemed shocked, surprised, saddened, and guilt-ridden all at the same time. He watched as the tiny muscles beneath her eyes contracted and twitched, as if she were fighting back tears. Her cheeks went pink with either embarrassment or shame he wasn't sure which at this point.

"I did."

Her voice strained in a way he'd never heard from _anyone_ before. Maybe it was because he'd never seen anyone cry this way. When Vikings cried, on the rarest of occasions, they held nothing back and roared just as loud as the waves crashing against the rocks. But this was different, not to mention he had _no clue_ why she was tearing up in the first place. No one had died, he hadn't called her an offensive name or picked on her, he'd simply stated something that she had already claimed was true.

"I left her all by herself. I ran away because _I am_ a coward. I was _terrified._ "

This was why she was sobbing like a baby?

"I love her so much but at that time I hated her too. Because there was a chance she was going to leave me. And I _hated_ that. I wanted to be as far away as possible and I know that makes me a monster."

A stray tear dripped from her right eye, a separate from her left following soon after. Her usual deep voice cracked and pitched in awkward places, leaving him to frozen. Why? He wasn't completely sure but he was frozen. Almost _disgusted_. Sad but at the same time _disgusted_.

By all human rights he should feel bad for this idiot sitting in front of him, Viking or not but he _wasn't_. Sure this was a typical sob background story made for someone to feel pity for the storyteller but he wasn't sure _how_ he was feeling.

Mad, sad, disappointed, ashamed, frustrated, and _disgusted_.

"I'm _sorry_."

Sorry? What good would an apology do now? Saying sorry never solved anything, never took away the sting from a cut or eased a bruise and it most certainly never stopped the thumping agony of someone else's disappointment. Most of all, sorry never fixed Mouse's burnt and scarred skin.

Sorry never did anything for anyone.

He knew that from experience.

"You being sorry is worthless." He said after a moment of thought.

When was the last time he even uttered the word, 'sorry' anyway? Years, likely it'd more than a decade since his last apology. That was no doubt when it came to him that sorry wasn't anything of use. It was a word, neither good nor bad. There were so many other words that held real meaning that got a real reaction out of people and 'sorry' wasn't one of them.

Sorry never fixed the look of disappointment in his father's eyes whenever he ruined/destroyed/disobeyed him. Even as a child when he thought he was required to apologize, it never did any good. His father still glared at him, frowned and shook his head in a way that he'd never forget. His father didn't care how _sorry_ he was when he messed something up; the only thing he was concerned with was everyone _else_. The _tribe_. He never had time for his son or his son's sorries.

"Why did you even bother coming back?" He looked away from his personal chef.

"I was tired of being alone." She sniveled like some kind of pathetic child.

"So you really _are_ selfish." Dagur gripped his fists. "You came back to your sister when it was convenient for _you_."

"I know that."

Silence once again. She wasn't angry? Had she just turned all that anger into tears in this passionate moment or was she truly sorry for how she dealt with things back then? Last time he offended her she fought back with such vigor, going passed the point of yelling to smashing her own plates. But now? Nothing.

" _You're so ungrateful!"_

"I know I've messed up a lot of things." She said, and from the corner of his eye he watched as she wiped away her tears with the back of her wrist. "I don't want to mess up anymore. I want to do the right thing, that's why I agreed to go with you. Because at the end of the day, it's the right thing."

His brow arched. "What in Thor's name are you talking about?"

"If I can protect the dragons with that peace treaty, it might just make up for what I did back then."

So this was it, was it? Coming with him would do nothing but put her back in her sister's good graces? She wasn't going because she wanted to, because they had similar traits, it was to save _herself_ from shame? Pathetic. All nice ideas of her believing in him, the ones her sister Mouse had said were wrong. She didn't like him; this was just as much a ploy for her as it was for him taking over Berk.

" _She sympathized with you because she doesn't like dragons either. She's the only person here who has faith and trust in you but only because she wasn't here to see what you did."_

Lies.

"You're wrong. You're just as selfish now as you were back then."

"What?"

"You're not doing this to protect those dragons, you hate them. You're doing this for yourself _again_." He allowed his fists to slowly come undone. "You think doing this will fix all of your problems and on the day when you do return, because you plan to, you'll come back a hero."

Silence.

"You want them to miss you. Because you're pathetic. You need someone to lean on because you're too sick and weak to carry yourself like a real Viking."

Finally, he turned to look at her, only to see her crying even more so than she had been before. Silent but still sobbing. Tears rolled down her round cheeks at a rate he'd seen only in the rarest of times. Her breath hitched once or twice and before she could allow herself to make any real noise, she brought both of her hands to her face. She buried her face deep into her palms, her breathes become labored and heavy. Hea's brought her knees further into her chest, almost like she was huddling into a tight ball.

"I'm _so sorry_."

Act End.


	16. Act Sixteen

La Coordination

Act Sixteen

He was awesome at making excuses. Well, he was awesome at most everything but heck, this one was for the record books! He could see it now, 'Master of Excuses'! Then again he'd probably have to make an excuse to get himself _in_ the record books. If they even existed…

Telling his stupid sister that he needed a break to take a leak worked like a charm. It got _her_ off his back for a second or two and it gave him a chance to do some investigating. Everyone knew that if there was one person to do some sort of investigating, it'd be him. He was a pro at that stuff! More record setting for him in those newly found and written record books! 'Master of Excuses and Investigating'!

Either way there was other stuff to worry about, more important stuff. Or so it seemed at the time when he thought of it. Ah well, better go with his expert instincts ('cause those are never wrong) and check this out. Something about leaving Hea alone with Dagur just didn't sit right. Plus if there _was_ any leftover food, it was totally his.

Tuffnut walked away from his designated piss spot and further down the beach. Where were those losers anyway? They couldn't be far; then again Ruff probably dropped him off far away on purpose. He wouldn't doubt that. Just to make things harder for _him_.

So what was the deal with Dagur the Idiot-Brain getting his own food separate from everyone else? What made him so special that he got his own sandwich, apple slices and scone? It wasn't like he was actually anyone's friend! Hea _never_ made a to-go bag for anyone before, why start now?! And why for that jerk?! She better have a good explanation for that.

Not only was it annoying, it made her look like she favored him. It wasn't just about the sandwich thing either. The whole deal with him staying and her going _with_ him made her look like she had some girly-gross-lame crush on the dork. She'd even mentioned the dreaded M-word around him that time before!

" _First we'll play 'house' for a little while then in two months we'll leave Berk and get married. It's the life I've always planned."_

Why the heck would she say something like that if it wasn't true! Sure she was just some stupid girl but why else would she do half the things she did for him if it wasn't true?! After all, his plan to get rid of Dagur was perfect; why else would she say 'no' to that? Well, there was only so much he could take! This whole thing was wrong.

Just the look of them together was dumb. They didn't match at all! What did they have in common anyways?! She was from the city; he was a Berserker for Odin's sake! Their kids would be the ugliest kids ever!

 _I'm totally not jealous._

Jealous! Why did that word even enter his head?! He didn't even know the _meaning_ of the word jealous. Shoot, he'd never felt _jealous_ in his whole life! Never! Not now not EVER!

She was just some weird girl, one that talked _way_ too much. One that _always_ thought she was right. And one that _way_ too bossy.

" _It makes us frustrated, as younger sisters."_

His heart thumped.

" _Geez! I was trying to be nice but never mind!"_

His stomach twisted.

" _You're a jerk."_

His palms sweated.

"Stupid."

Tuff lifted his chin, eyes set on the destination ahead of him. He could see the two in question sitting out in the open just the way he left them. Well didn't they look chummy? Sitting there, talking all romantic-like. Him with his arms crossed over his stupid muscly chest and her all crunched up in a tight huddle with her hands in front of her face…and eyes covered and…shoulders all jerky like she was crying or something.

Wait.

He stepped faster toward the couple, only coming to a stop when Dagur glanced up from his pout and directed a glare once again in his direction. What did he expect him to be scared or something? Well, _he wasn't_. If Dagur the Dumb was gonna scare him, he was gonna hafta like…threaten to remove his legs again like last time. Again.

Probably hearing her new 'boyfriend' move beside her, Hea broke out of her huddled seat and looked upward. She removed her womanly-dainty-girl hands from her face and turned his way. No doubt surprised by seeing him stand there, her brows touched the top of her forehead and her jaw dropped open.

Her red eyes caught him half off guard. Sure he'd _thought_ she _might_ be crying but to see her actually weeping like a baby made him freeze. He'd only seen her cry _once_ before, and back then she seemed more mad than upset. So what the heck happened here? Did _he_ make her cry?

"Tuff." She spoke first, lifting the back of her arm to her eyes and rubbing away any tears. "What are you doing here? Where's Ruffnut?"

Psh, that would be the next question. Typical. "I don't always have to have my sister around, you know. I'm fine on my own."

"Well aren't you a big man now." Dagur said with a stupid, ugly grin on his mug. "Walking around without big sissy. I must say, I'm proud."

The blond male gripped his fists. "I'll have you know I've been a man since last summer. Not like I need you to tell me." He gave a sarcastic roll of his eyes, trying to play off the comeback more as a joke. "And besides, I'm the older one."

"Heh, as if it matters."

Damn showpony.

"Is everything okay?" The sound of her voice made the rider flinch. He turned his focus away from the Berserker idiot and looked down to see her staring back up at him.

Eyes wide, filled with tears, red and looking pretty tired she turned to him with _concern_. What was up with that? Why, when _she_ was crying, did she have to ask _him_ if he was okay? That didn't make any sense! Did it have anything to do with Dagur sitting beside her? Would she have asked if the others were around?

"Duh, everything's okay." He rolled his blue eyes, again turning away from her. "I just needed to take care of some 'business' and came down. You know, I needed to shake hands with the chief?"

"Nice." Her voice strained for a moment as she cleared her throat.

"Are you like…" He fiddled about as he stood in front of the older couple. "Crying or whatever? Did he like pinch you or something?"

"No, no." She shook her head, his eyes falling on her once more. "I'm fine, really." She said with a small chuckle trailing her sentence.

At that Tuffnut stopped and gazed at Dagur. He for whatever dumb reason, had turned away from the both of them, eye stuck on the ocean ahead. A smirk that made him look crazier than ever appeared on his broad face that made the male twin uneasy. He knew something they didn't.

"You have a sister," Dagur said, directing his words at which sibling the Viking wasn't sure. "And you care about her, right?"

"Who? Me?" Tuffnut shoved his index finger into his chest.

"Yes you, you numbskull!"

"You want me to get all mushy or something?" He pouted, while adjusting the weight of his body to his left leg. "'Cause it's not gonna work. You have to be really stupid to think I didn't. I guess…"

"I have an older sister."

Both he and Hea became stiff. What the?

"And while I'm not the caring type, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her." Dagur went on, even if he could care less. "If someone hurt her I would have to rip off every limb and feed it to my armada just for kicks. But you get that don't you Buffnut?"

His dark brows dropped. "It's Tuffnut."

"Whatever."

Did this have some kind of point?

"But you would never leave her? Alone?" He then made direct eye to eye contact. Green to blue.

"No way." Tuffnut crossed his arms over his chest. "Sure she's annoying and smells like a yak but I wouldn't just up and leave her alone. What? Did you think I would? I'm not that stupid."

"So," Dagur's smile spread. "You think it'd be stupid to leave your sis? Maybe even _selfish_?"

"Well, yeah." He shrugged his right shoulder in a lazy manner. "I maybe a jerk most times but I'm not a sibling-traitor."

"That's a good word." Dagur uncrossed his arms and waved his left arm once in the twin's direction. " _Traitor_."

"That's not fair!"

The unusual sound of Hea's voice pitching made Tuff flinch. He watched as she sprung out of her seat on the ground and stood to face him. With both hands gripped at her sides, she stepped to him. Her eyes now redder than they had been before and cheeks pinker than he'd _ever_ seen, she shot him a look that could almost kill.

"How _dare_ you say something like that?! I'm not a traitor!" She yelped at him.

What?! What the heck was this about?! Who said that they were talking about _her_? Did she need to make everything about her? She wasn't that self-centered was she?! "I didn't call you anything. Chill out!"

"No!" She threw her head back and forth. "How could you say that when you _know_ what happened?!"

" _What_ happened, when?!" Tuffnut unhooked his arms from his flat chest and took a single step toward the shouting sheep herder. "You're nuts, you don't even know what you're talking about! _I_ don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Don't act dumb!" She carried on with her hysterics, now with tears streaming down her round cheeks. "What happened between me and Rye was _our_ business! You have no right to pass judgment on me; you have no idea what I was going through!"

"You mean when you left?" Tuff felt his thick brow lift. "It wasn't _my_ fault you left. You wanted to go!"

"I did not _want_ anything." She hitched for a moment, bringing her voice down to a level where his ears weren't splitting when her lips moved. "You think I wanted to just leave Rye? If that's what you thought, you don't know me! I…"

"I don't know about you but I am so totally confused right now." He felt his whole body grow heavy as he stood there before the girl that worked his nerves more than anyone else. "You're making no sense, woman."

"Fine, whatever. I'm done."

"How can you be done with something that hasn't started? I don't understand at all. You're talking about when you left?" Tuff lifted his right hand to his forehead. "Look I didn't call you a traitor, if that's what you're crying about. If that's how you feel about _yourself_ that's not my fault."

"I didn't say that." She added with more tears.

"If you're this mad about it, it must be true."

Silence.

Her fists came loose, shoulders slouched and tears stopped. For a moment anyway.

"I hate you!"

Her voice echoed through the tiny area, her scream bouncing off every which wall and rock, sending it back to the trio three times over. His muscles had frozen over but he couldn't feel anything but heat surging through his veins. It was like her words came from her mouth floated right to his face and slapped him. Sure, he'd heard those words a dozen times (or even more) from his sister on occasions when they argued but hearing it from another person? Ouch.

Shoot, Snot might have even said it to him once and while but hearing it come _her_. It was something so different, so foreign. While it didn't really sting, it didn't feel _good_ either. They were just words after all, weren't they? Why should he feel any certain way about it? He didn't _care_ what she had to say, she was just some dumb girl.

He didn't need to hear how she felt about him or anything. After all, she had other people that cared right? Like her new boyfriend.

"Don't talk to me!"

With new tears moving over her face, she whirled away from him. She moved her hand to her face and took off, away from the picnic area. Leaving him alone with the Berserker. He watched she fled the area, not once stopping to turn back around. Where was she headed anyway? Home?

 _Whatever, it doesn't matter._

She had no right to talk to him that way. She didn't even know what she was talking about! She was just hysteric for the sake of being hysteric! All she wanted was the drama! He didn't need to care about she felt because it was a well-known fact that he didn't care for her much either.

Sure, it didn't matter.

It didn't.

 _It doesn't._

Act End.


	17. Act Seventeen

La Coordination

Act Seventeen

"What in Odin's name happened here?" Rye exclaimed, appearing on the scene, her lungs burning from the short sprint from Hookfang to the beach. "What happened to Hea?"

"Whatever it is, it doesn't look good." Fishlegs agreed, coming just up on her right side.

"Man, and we were having such a good time too." Snotlout said, parking his dragon beside the other reptiles. "Rye and I were really getting somewhere!"

A flash of yellow and grey passed by the four-eyed female and made her refocus her vision. Ruffnut bypassed the entire group of teens and made a beeline for her brother, who had been standing a few feet next to a seated Dagur. The twins met and with a look of worry Ruff leaned into her brother.

"What just happened?! You okay, bro?"

"Psh," With his stringy arms crossed over his chest, Tuffnut shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. I don't know 'bout Hea though. She's being difficult _again_."

"Was she crying?" Astrid piped in, appearing beside Hiccup. "She didn't exactly look _happy_ when she ran off."

Crying?! Since when? Then again she could certainly blame the fact that she didn't _see_ her sister crying because of her terrible eyesight. Either way that was _not_ good news! So her sister was crying, who was responsible for this one? Dagur or Tuffnut? Then again it could be a combo of the both of them but her money was on Dagur! Damn idiot.

"Yeah, like a baby." Dagur rolled his green eyes. "She's _been_ crying."

"What?!" Rye shouted, stepping closer to the two boys in question. "Who was it?!"

"Calm down," Tuffnut shot a glare in her direction. "She's just crying, it's not like she broke a leg or something."

"It _is_ kinda important." Hiccup stood beside the oldest female, no doubt ready to shield whoever she decided to attack. "Hea doesn't cry over just anything, what happened?"

"If I find out it has _anything_ to do with you, I'm going to _kill_ you." Rye's face twisted, her features of anger and frustration landing on the male twin. "You're already in the doghouse then this? It better not have been you."

"What?" He flinched, arms coming undone. "Why am _I_ in trouble? I didn't do anything…until this point that is."

"So it was you!" Snotlout released a chuckle that made the blond boy grimace.

"Remember the other day? When you _shot_ into the sky when you _know_ Hea gets airsick! I'm still not over that little fiasco!" Rye felt her back molars grind together whenever her lips came to a close. "Then this? What is your problem?"

"Let's wait a second." Fishlegs came between the tall twin and older sister. With his larger hands separating the two he continued on, "I don't think Tuffnut is to blame for this. He and Hea argue _all_ the time and she never gets too upset. Something else is up here." He ended his explanation with his focus moved to the eldest boy seated on the ground.

"Yeah, don't go accusing people." Ruffnut pouted both her lips while she defended her brother, her kin. (And understandably so.)

"Tuff what happened?" Hiccup asked, head tilted to the left.

"Look, she was already crying by the time I got here," He said, looking more hotheaded than usual. What was he so upset about? Did something happen to the _both_ of them? "I asked her if _he_ made her cry and she said no."

Wait.

" _You_ did this?" Astrid linked her arms to her bust. "What is your deal all of a sudden? What did you _say_ to her? It must have been pretty nasty to get her to cry."

Rye paused. Studying the blond male's features for a moment. He looked more peeved than she'd seen him in a long time. Sure, he had a usual look of anger on him, when he wasn't wearing a shit-eating grin, but now he just seemed downright _mad_. Was he upset about Hea crying or did Dagur say something to the _both_ of them that sent her running and him steaming?

In the end Fishlegs was right, sure he and Hea argued nearly every day but it never ended in her being this devastated. And when was the last time Tuffnut was this genuinely pissed? _Never_. This had to be the work of that deranged Berserker.

"But she said no?" Rye asked, her voice going down several octaves. "Why would she…"

 _She's protecting him. But why?_

" _You guys gave dragons a chance. Even when we thought they were monsters. We should give him a shot too."_

"You're being awfully quiet over there," Snotlout stood just behind her, speaking in a tone that sent shivers down her spine.

"It's true."

What? So he _had_ made her cry but for what reason? She'd been nothing but nice to this fiend. Just like everything else, there had to be a reason why Dagur was acting this way too. Sure, he had a plan to over throw Stoick and take over Berk that much was given but why would he meddle in something this trivial?

 _Unless…_

"We were talking and she got 'emotional' and started weeping like a girl." Dagur released his arms from his chest and put physical emphases on the word 'emotional'.

"You seem to forget that she _is_ a girl." Astrid bit back.

"I expect more from a future Berserker chef. I need to get those silly girly feelings out of her before we head back." He went on, lifting himself out of his stone seat and standing above the rest of the group. "Besides, she made _herself_ cry."

"How does that happen?" Ruffnut curled her lip.

"She was going on about some story about how Mouse got her burn," He answered with a roll of the wrist. "And that's about it. It isn't _my_ fault she's so delicate when it comes to that story."

From the left, Rye watched as Hiccup stiffened. "She told you _everything_?" He asked, voice straining.

"Everything that mattered. Why are you _jealous_ Fishbone?"

"Hea wouldn't just open up about that on her own." Rye said. "What are you trying to do?"

"Nothing," He shrugged. "Besides you're all forgetting the moment she stormed off she wasn't speaking to _me_." His green eyes bounced over in Tuffnut's direction. "As I recall, she shouted a good 'I hate you' before fleeing too."

"Tuff?" Astrid whispered, leading all eyes to the slender male.

"I don't even know what happened, it was just so fast." Tuff looked to the ground. "She was all screaming and crying at me and it was loud…and I don't know. But whatever, she'll get over it."

"I remember the word _traitor_ being thrown around." Dagur smirked. "You called her a sibling traitor, remember?"

"What?" The twin flinched hard and turned to the Berserker. "No I didn't! She totally misunderstood me! You're the one who asked the dumb question in the first place, I was just answering!"

"Wait, wait." Astrid moved through the sea of Vikings and stood in front with her hands placed outward. "What question are you talking about exactly? What did he ask you?"

"Um," Baby blue's shot into the sky as the skinner blond thought back several minutes. "I don't remember, something about Ruff." He then jerked his thumb back in his sister's direction.

"About me?" Ruffnut cocked a thick brow.

"This is all so confusing." Snot dropped forward, arms hanging heavy in front of his chest. "Why don't we just go and talk to Hea? She's the one who's crying."

"That's a bad idea." Rye looked back to the boy she'd just had so much fun with. "I should go back and talk to her alone. If she sees anyone else, she'll just put up a wall. Better let me handle this."

"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked at her side. "I can help, you know."

"Nah, this is girl stuff."

"What do we do in the meantime?" Snotlout pouted, probably wanting to come with to watch whatever went down. Damn the shorter boy was curious as a kitten!

"I need someone or some _people_ to keep an eye on this one," Rye nudged her chin at Dagur. "We can't have him finding trouble. For all we know this could be what he wants."

"I don't want anything." Dagur frowned. "Just be to be left in peace."

"Uh huh, we believe that one." Astrid's brows dripped.

"Okay then, I'll get going." Rye took a number of steps forward before stopping to glance over her shoulder. "Give us a good hour and come around my place. Everything should be settled by then."

"Psh." Tuffnut scoffed from the back, catching her eye. "When should I expect my apology?"

"Hey, you might be the cause of all this," Rye's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't start counting my sheep just yet. You just stay put."

"Yeah whatever, you don't tell _me_ what to do."

Oh geez, he defiant stance once again? Oh well, just as long as he didn't disappear, then things should go well. First she needed to calm her sis down then the next step was simple enough. To get these two to make up. Shouldn't be terribly difficult seeing as they were more alike than they'd both like to admit.

"I'll go with you."

Rye turned about to see Ruffnut standing with quite a deal of confidence behind her. She wore her trademark smirk with the addition of holding her hands in front of her chest. She rubbed her palms together as she moved forward, and only stopped when she came beside the elder woman.

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, duh." The feisty blonde gave an over exaggerate nod of the head. "He's my brother! If anyone knows that geek best, it's me. I know that he was just being dumb and it was all a misunderstanding. Lemme explain that to her and she'll feel better in no time."

Not a bad idea actually. If there was a person that knew Tuffnut the best, it had to be his sis. If she said something was true about him it was pretty good evidence that it was in fact true!

"Okay." Rye sent a smile in the female twin's direction. "That would help a lot. Thanks."

"No problem. You know me; I'm an expert in these things." She announced, making a fist with her right hand and pounding the area just beneath her collarbone. "I got your back."

XoXoX

"Thanks for coming along. It was a good idea to come with." Rye glanced once over her shoulder, eyes landing on the younger female behind her. "This shouldn't take too long."

"Of course it was a good idea! It was _my_ idea!" She replied, grin spreading over her already stunning features.

How bad could this really be? After all, they just had to explain the truth to Hea and she'd understand no problem. While Hea was pretty stubborn, she had to understand once they got everything settled out. Psh, both her and Tuff were the same! Hardheaded to a fault, it's no wonder they fought like cats and yaks. Ah well, she couldn't blame her little brother, it was just his nature. It just took a while for other people to get used to it.

"I know I don't really have to remind you but Hea is going to be really upset," Rye's voice caught her off guard. "So please, be nice."

"I'm _always_ nice."

"Then we shouldn't have a problem." She flashed a smile.

Instead of answering the bossy older woman, Ruffnut rolled her stunning blue eyes. And once her focus came back crystal clear, she took note that they had arrived at Rye and Hea's front door. Ah so this was it. Hea better be still crying and upset otherwise they all just missed a perfect opportunity to tease her later. Ah well, Rye did say to be nice. Poo.

The older girl stopped at the front wooden door and took in a deep breath before reaching forward and taking hold of the doorknob. What was with that awkward pause? Was Rye like nervous or something? Talk about _weird,_ who would have ever guessed someone as old and smart as the four-eyed female could get nervous about anything. Then again she acted shy from time to time when she stopped to take notice.

With a pop and squeak the door opened, allowing both females entrance into the darkened home. The moment Rye stepped foot inside both Terrible Terror and Fluffy puffball-of-doom rushed forward. Bud or Bug, whatever its name was, came with her tail wagging back and forth while Phobos hopped into the air until her wings took control and she hovered to shoulder-level. The tiny purple dragon landed on her owner's upper arm and chirped almost like she was saying 'hello'. Hehe, creepy.

"Come on," Rye said in a smooth whisper, nudging her chin in the direction of the back bedroom.

Without replying she followed the once homeowner to the doorway where the two girls used to sleep together. Why they had no door between the kitchen and bedroom was a mystery, a stupid mystery but confusing nonetheless.

"Hea?" The gardener called out as they rounded the corner. "Hea, you in here?"

A sniffle came from the left side of the room. Yup, that was Hea alright. Probably sleeping or something.

As both girls entered the bedroom area, the sound of metal scrapping against the hardwood floor made them both pause. As if on some kind of telepathic cue, they looked down at once to see that Rye's right foot hand bumped against a thick chest metal chest guard. Huh, that had to be that psycho's armor crap. Gross, he just left it on the ground like that? After being all sweaty and stuff? Ew.

"What did that idiot do to my bed?!" Rye's hands came to the top of her head, her fingers grabbing at her roots. "Look at this place, it's a mess!"

The bed was a tangled mess of sheets, quilts and blankets while the on the floor was scattered remains of that crazed man's clothes, underwear and armor. Plates, forks and spoons lined the bed header; most with food still left on them. Ew, double gross. What the heck? Not even Tuff was this nasty about leaving his stuff all over the place. At least her brother had the decency to eat at the table! Not in his bed like some kind of animal.

"Sorry, but I've been kinda _busy_ remember?" A sharp hiss from Hea's side of the room made both females turn away from the rotting fest in Rye's bed.

"You know when you say sorry in that tone you aren't really sorry." Ruffnut lifted her index finger into the air.

"Why are _you_ here?" Hea looked up from the quilt she had buried her face in. "You're the last person I want to see." She paused. "Well, second last person I want to see I guess."

"Hea," The older sister of the sheep herder broke away from the blonde twin and moved to the clean side of the room. "We need to talk to you; Tuffnut didn't mean what he said."

"You came here to get me to _forgive_ him?" Her voice cracked and croaked like some kind of frog in the bog. "No way."

"It was a big misunderstanding. Really." Rye's voice took a tone of calmness the Viking girl had never heard before. (Other than the times when she talked to Phobos of course.)

"You weren't even there to hear what he said to me!" Hea used her elbows to prop herself upward. "He called me a traitor after I left Berk! Even worse he called me _sibling-traitor_."

"That was after Dagur got his bit in." Rye answered back.

"Don't go blaming Dagur."

"Don't go blaming my brother either," Ruff crossed her slender arms over her tiny bust. "He might be annoying stinker but he didn't _want_ to hurt your feelings."

"This is why I didn't want you here!" The short haired herder barked, before slamming her nose back into the thick quilt beneath her. "Go away!"

"What's the big poop about Dagur anyway?" The blonde shrugged her shoulders in a lazy motion. "You said before you didn't _like_ him so why are you defending him? It isn't like he's ever been _nice_ to anyone, why would he all of a sudden be nice to _you_?"

"Mmm-hmm!"

"You know Dagur mentioned that you'd been crying when Tuffnut came around," Rye spoke, her right hand lifting then resting on the weeping girl's lower back. "What did _Dagur_ say to upset you? You can't hide the fact that he made you cry first."

No answer. Why in Thor's good name did she go all quiet all of a sudden? Was it because she knew her older sister was right? But if that was true and Dagur did make her cry first, then why was she so intent on lying about it? Huh.

"He called me out."

"Wha?"

"He called me out. And he was _right_." Hea lifted her face out of the blankets and looked to the opposite wall. "I told him about when I left and he called me a coward. He was right. The thing that made me cry was that he was _right_ about it. I did run away because I was a coward."

So it really was that idiot who made her upset in the first place? Not her brother? If that was so, why was Tuff being blamed for it all?! This was stupid! Sure her brother was to blame for a lot of things but this for sure, wasn't one of them.

"You aren't a coward!" Rye's high pitched tone caught the twin off guard. "How dare he say that! What is his problem?!"

"So why are you blaming Tuff for making you upset if it was really Dagur?" Ruff felt her bottom lip pout.

"Because I know that was the truth. We all do. I was just taken back by it. I had stopped crying by the time your brother got there." Hea released a small sigh that silenced the room once again.

"How again did we get on the subject of traitors?" Rye asked, tilting her head to one side. "What did Dagur say after Tuffnut that got to you two?"

"He asked him if he would ever leave Ruffnut by herself. Kinda like the way I did you. He said no and said he was no 'sibling-traitor'. That was pretty much it."

The youngest female stiffened. So Tuff _was_ right, they had been talking about her when all this went down. And if that much was true than the fact that her brother really didn't want to hurt the sheep herder's feelings in the end, was also true.

"Don't you see this is what Dagur wants? He's trying to pin you against us, starting with the easiest target." Rye exhaled via her nose, her arm rubbing her sister's back in the meantime. "He's wants to get you away from everyone else, it's part of his plan to take over Berk. Don't you get that?"

"That's not true." Hea's chin sunk deeper into the cushioned quilt beneath her. "It can't be true."

"Why not?" Ruffnut unhooked her arms from her chest and added most of her body weight to her left leg. "He's a stinking rat! He'll do anything to get Toothless."

The girl flinched. Her large eyes came to a close and a small, near silent hum left her lips. She then lifted her right hand to her face and held it there for a second. What was there to think about? It was totally obvious that Dagur wanted to rip them apart! Why did she have so much faith in that stupid-head?

"He's trying to get you on _his side_ and it looks to me like it's working." Rye went on, "First he acts chummy with you, he isolates you in your own home, he's wearing you down mentally and now he's making you fight with Tuffnut."

"You're falling for it sinker and hook line." The blonde nodded.

"You mean _hook line and sinker_?" Hea managed to crack a small smile, for the first time turning in her direction.

"Whatever."

"Don't let him do this." Rye spoke out again, her voice calm and soft. "There's still time to back out of this. We can stop him before this gets any worse."

The small smirk that had appeared on Hea's face faded away. She sighed nasally and turned her attention toward the wall once again. The hand she had placed on her forehead slid backward, messing her already ruffled hair. The dark brown locks bounced back in awkward strands, making her look like she'd just gotten into a wrestling match with Meatlug.

What was with all the thinking? Wasn't the answer obvious?!

"I'll back out of it."

That's the answer everyone wanted to hear! Finally! It took just about for-evah. Didn't this girl know crazy villain when it showed its ugly deranged face?

"Good." Rye gave her sister a solid slap to the backside. "I'm just glad we could work this out now. Everyone wants you here, we love you."

Ruff pouted once again, "Gross."

"I'll have to talk to him with everyone else backing me up," Hea lifted her head, turning to the therapeutic duo with a look of concern. "If I talk to him alone, I don't know _what_ will happen. I want _everyone_ there, okay?"

The older sister flashed her little baby sister a smile, "We can do that."

"Looking back on it…" The short-haired girl sighed once again, "I think I can see where he wanted Tuff and I to fight. I jumped him for no reason; I guess it wasn't his fault." Her brown eyes then landed on the only unrelated female in the bedroom. "I'm sorry."

"Don't give _me_ that 'I'm sorry' crud," Ruff rolled her eyes, "Talk to stink-brain. He's waiting for apology right now. He made sure to ask for it before we left."

She smiled for the second time. "Figures."

"Hey, can I ask you a stupid question?" Ruffnut tilted her head to one side. "Why are you so nice to that Berserker freak? You don't have like a crush on him or something, right?"

The older woman pushed her hands off the mattress and sat up right before releasing a small chuckle that made the room vibrate. "No, I don't like him like that."

"Coulda fooled me." The blonde hissed under her breath.

"I just thought that maybe we…or me rather, could change him for the better." Probably ashamed of her confession, she dropped her noggin, her eyes falling elsewhere again. "I thought if we could trust dragons and they showed some good that he could do the same. But I guess I was wrong."

"Way wrong."

" _Ruffnut_." Rye shot a glare her way.

"Just a bit of good, I just _knew_ there was a bit of good somewhere deep down inside."

"Not everyone can do what Hiccup did." The gardener said, standing away from the bed, allowing her sister access to stand up. "There is no good in that idiot."

"Okay, I _get_ it." Hea's brown eyes darted back to the two girls. "Let's just go find Tuff; I need to talk to him. Swallow my pride and say," She gulped hard, "I'm sorry." Then cringed.

"Let's make it snappy," Ruff beamed with a small sense of pride, (hey she'd done her job without a single hiccup! No pun intended of course.) and straightened her shoulders. "I think I'm gettin' hungry again. And to make up for this, you're makin' dinner."

Act End.


	18. Act Eighteen

La Coordination

Act Eighteen

"Where is my idiot brother?" Ruffnut asked as she exited the small house, her hands attached to her hips. "Did he run off or something stupid like that?"

"We lost track of him when we were walking back to the village," Astrid answered, leading the group in her usual way, Dagur tucked away in the back with his arms bounded to his thick chest. "He was pretty mad, he just needs a minute to himself I think."

"Ah lame." Snotlout rolled his blue eyes. "What's up with everyone today?"

 _This is all my fault._

Hea let her head hang, why did she have to be so stupid? Letting her emotions get the better of her! This wasn't like her, and she should know! This was her own mind she was thinking about here. Since when did she let anyone get away with manipulating her? Last year she had been so strong when she held her merits against dragons why couldn't she be more like that now?

Was it because she was becoming older? Softer maybe?

"Look, I'm pretty sure I know where he is." Hea took a single step forward. "He always goes to the same place. Let me go to him and talk…and…" She shuddered. "Apologize."

"You sure that's the best idea?" Hiccup asked, stepping up beside Astrid. "What if you decide to be yourselves and end up fighting?"

Her heart thumped in her chest. Oh how she'd give the world to have him there with her as she poured her heart out to the male twin. Ugh _but_. She had to do this on her own. Hiccup didn't fuck up everything and ruin their day out, _she_ did. This was her mess to clean up. And she had to do it alone.

"Nah, I got this. I just won't be as 'me-ish' as I usually am." She gave the group a playful roll of the eyes. "I know what I'm doing. There won't be any arguing."

"Now this I gotta see." Snot flashed her a cheeky grin that made her blood simmer.

"Hea's right." The blonde beauty who stood beside Hiccup turned to the shorter male with a glare. "She ought to do this alone."

"You sure you don't even want _me_ to come?" Ruffnut whirled around to face the shorter haired female, her features twisted into a look of uncertainty.

"Thanks but I can do this." Hea made sure to give the girl who had been so much help in the last fifteen minutes a small smile. "I'm not some sort or rabid animal. I can talk to the guy."

"Psh," The younger twin pursed her lips. "Your call. It's your butt if he shouts at ya."

"Where is he anyway?" Fishlegs asked from the back.

"In his 'wet soggy place' I'm betting." Rye answered. "Or in other words that cave he likes to hide out in. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

"I know you don't want us to come but how about this," Hiccup spoke out, catching the group's attention. "We'll all wait for you outside the cave. That way you have your privacy but we have some sense security knowing you two aren't killing each other."

Hm, not a bad compromise. It worked for her. At least she wouldn't have to walk all the way home alone with a steaming Viking twin. And if something _did_ happen to go wrong at least Ruffnut would be right outside. If there was one person who could calm his nerves, it would be his best friend. Might as well give it a shot.

"Sounds good to me." She said, her eyes still stinging from the tears she had shed a little more than a half hour ago.

"But uh guys?" Fishlegs' voice put the scene on pause. "What about _you know who_?" He whispered with his right index finger sheepishly pointed in Dagur's direction.

The older tribe leader cocked a thick crimson eyebrow and turned his focus on the larger, frightened Hooligan Viking. "I assume you're blabbing on about me? I'll be fine in _my_ house." He then nudged his chiseled chin in the direction of the sisters' home.

"He can come along." Astrid's brows dipped heavy over her eyes. "We can't trust him for a second to be here on his own."

"Oh puh-lease." Dagur grunted, rolling his emerald eyes and throwing his arms away from his chest. "And what trouble am I going to cause here by myself for the next hour? None. So relax that heavy conscience of yours, girl. I'm going to my house and my bed to sleep off this migraine all of you have so graciously given me."

"I. Don't. Trust. You." Astrid parted from Hiccup's side and approached the madman with a look that could kill.

"And. I. Don't. Care." He didn't back down for a moment, holding strong with his chest pressed out like some kind of quail.

"Look, do you have _any_ problem coming with us?" Hiccup was quick to follow after the blonde, placing one hand on her shoulder to keep her safe and calm. "It won't take long."

"Let me get this straight." He moved his right hand to his hip and extended his left palm outward. "You want me to come with you only to stay outside the cave and _not_ watch those two girls fight to the death over something so stupid it makes my brain numb?" He pouted. "No."

"Then someone is gonna have to stay back with him." Rye said. "Not it."

"Oh!" Ruffnut's arm shot into the air. "Not it!"

"While I would, I can't." Hea felt a frown cross her features. "So, can't it."

"Really? We're playing the 'not it' game?" Hiccup slouched forward with a look of utter disappointment.

"How about you and I just stay back?" Astrid turned to the dragon trainer with a sigh. "We're probably the most prepared for this."

"I guess."

"I don't need to be watched like some sort of child." Dagur rolled his eyes.

"Experience says otherwise." The team's matriarch crossed her arms over her small bust. "Look go back to 'your' home and relax, Hiccup and I will stand by just in case you decide to act like the animal you are."

"You're so quick with the accusations around here." The Berserker clenched his jaw, was he getting mad or something?

"It isn't like we don't have the right to make them; you _have_ given us plenty of reason to." Hiccup stood strong with his partner in crime.

"This is where I best get going," Hea piped up, this scene was carrying on too long and she had some place to be (with her tail tucked between her legs) and an apology to give out. "You argue it out, I gotta go."

"Alright, we'll take care of things here." Hiccup shot her a confident smile that forced her heart to thump in her chest. "We have Toothless and Stormfly in case anything goes wrong. Go on and have fun, okay?"

"Oh yeah," She felt another stupid love-sick smile spread along her features. "Fun times."

XoXoX

Why was the prospect of this so difficult? Just the _idea_ of apologizing was making her sick to her stomach. Gah! Why did _she_ have to be the one who fucked up so royally? This wouldn't be half as hard if she wasn't the one who freaked out like a two year old! It had to be the stress of everything, everything that had been going on for the last few days. How could one week suck so hard?

Not to mention this had to have hit Tuffnut hard. After all, how often did he go running off to be by himself? Usually when he and his sister had a huge fight, that's when. But this was different, like Hiccup had stated earlier, she and Tuff were natural fighters. They always argued.

But why?

 _Why indeed._

As children things were so different. What happened down the along the lines of puberty and young adulthood to have changed everything so drastically? Maybe she had hurt his feelings and was unaware of the damaged she had caused? Or maybe he just hated her guts for the simple fact that she wasn't a Viking.

But that didn't make much sense…it wasn't like her being a city dweller was a secret. He knew from day one that she wasn't a Viking so why were they so close as kids?

This was a definite question to be asked once they were together. Alone.

Hea moved through the dark cave, torch in her right hand and nerves rattling her teeth against her skull. How was she going to word this all anyway? There was the blunt approach or the sensitive one. Which would he prefer? Which would he respond better to?

 _Why is this so hard?! And why do I care what he thinks just so long as I apologize?!_

Two good questions without any kind of answer in sight. Shit, she was going to just have to wing it. How would she appreciate getting an apology? Of course without any 'if's listed within it. There was no point in saying sorry if there was an 'if' or 'but' placed somewhere between words.

The glow from the flame on her torch reflected and flickered off the walls until a familiar slender shadow caught her eye. Ah, there he was. Now or never! With a loud gulp that nearly echoed through the thick cave walls; she stepped closer to the boy who sat alone.

Hea rounded the last corner until she was only several feet from her once opponent. He had probably heard her coming for some time now but he refused to look up regardless. Even as she stood at his side, he kept his eyes forward and arms crossed over his bent knees. His back pressed against a rather large boulder behind him, he pouted.

"Hey."

"What do _you_ want?" He hissed, his tone taking a depth she'd only heard on rare occasions.

Time to put her 'wing it' plan into action. "I came to apologize. I over reacted and acted like a big baby."

"Tsh."

"I'm really sorry. I…" She exhaled. "I'm just really sorry. I don't know what else to say other than that. I was so worked up about what Dagur and I were talking about that I took everything out on you. You didn't deserve that."

"You bet I didn't." His bottom lip poked out like a sore thumb while his fingers clenched the fabric of his pants.

Didn't she _just_ say she was sorry? Not to mention throwing herself under the boat in mentioning that she was a 'big baby'. What else did he want? She wasn't going to beg for mercy like he wanted her to. In the end she said what she came here to say and she was cordial about it all.

She didn't owe him anything else.

"You know, you think you know everything but you don't." He huffed, eyes still averting her. "You're a big fat know it all."

 _FAT?!_ Her brow twitched. Okay, okay! So she said she wouldn't fight with the boy but Hiccup and the others didn't mention anything about him calling her _fat_. This _had_ to be pay back for when she snapped at him at the beach. It had to be! There was no way he was that mean. Right?

"Really? You really just called me fat?" She flinched, her eyes stinging almost as if she was going to cry _again_.

"You don't know everything, just because you're a few years older doesn't mean you're any smarter than me."

Okay so he was going to completely ignore the fact that she was offended by the word 'fat'. Ugh! _Stay calm, stay calm. You can do this._

"Come on, let's get out of here." She bit back any tears or insults that tickled her eyes/lips. "The others are waiting. Plus Dagur is alone—"

"It's always about Dagur!" He whipped his chin up and sent her a glare that almost stabbed her through the heart. "Who cares about that jerk!? Why do _you_ care so much!?"

There it was again. She didn't really go on about the Berserker tribe leader _that_ much did she? It wasn't like she really tried to single the boy out. But it was kinda important to think about him when he was a guest on the island and a potential enemy.

Why was everyone insisting like there was more to the story than that?!

"I _don't_ care. Why do _you_ care if _I_ care or not?" Blood from her aching heart shot up and hit her cheeks.

"I don't!"

"And neither do I!"

Silence.

An impasse.

Her throat burned. Not only from just screaming in this moment but from earlier in the day. When she told him she hated him, when she told him not to speak with her. Oh how she regretted it now. But why? Why did she regret it? It wasn't like at the time it didn't feel warranted. Sure she knew she was wrong now but in the moment it felt _right_. That's why she said it, right?

So why was she arguing with herself now? About how bad she felt now looking back? Again if this was a year ago, when she was so filled with piss and vinegar she wouldn't have cared. But now? She didn't _have_ to care this much, she didn't _want_ to care this much, so why did she?

Why couldn't she hold to her virtues now like she did back then? When she _didn't_ care.

She exhaled even though the air that passed through her lungs hurt. With slow movements she stepped through the pain of both embarrassment and shock and took a seat beside the angry male. She tossed the flaming torch forward so it lit the small area between them.

"No matter what I really am sorry."

"Sure."

A sarcastic answer but an answer nonetheless. At least he wasn't yelling at her anymore.

"I was just talking to your sister," Hea cleared her throat before continuing. "Telling her why I've been so nice to Dagur. You have the right to know why. It isn't because I have some sort of crush on him or _want_ to run away with him."

"Coulda fooled me."

Her lips turned upward. Aw, that was just the answer his sister had given her hours ago. "I just thought that with enough effort or couching that maybe I could change him." Her cheeks burned. "I wanted to do what Hiccup did with dragons for the village. Maybe if I was able to change him and make the Berserkers our allies' people would think..."

Oh geez. Why was it the one person she was being the most honest with turned out to be _Tuffnut_?

"People would think that _I_ was important."

More silence. The cracking of the dying torch bounced off the walls. The near dead stillness of the area made her heart that much easier to hear in her ear. Thumping, thumping, thumping away she was almost sure that he could hear it at this point. There was only one other time she had been so honest. And it felt just as embarrassing then as it did now. Not much had changed when it came to _that_ department.

" _I couldn't think about our last conversation or what our last meal would have been. To sit there and watch her suffer wasn't just killing her, it was killing_ me _. I couldn't watch it happen, I couldn't watch her die."_

It hurt to breathe.

"Don't be stupid."

Even though he was speaking her eyes continued to burn and her heart continued to slam away.

"You're here for a reason."

What was that supposed to mean?

"You don't need to care about that dumb-dumb to be important. He tried to _kill_ my dragon. That guy doesn't deserve any kind of…niceness or whatever. He's a freak."

Her chin lifted in the slightest manner. "Everyone deserves to be loved."

Everyone, everything deserved kindness. Dragons, people, Vikings…Berserkers. There had to be a point in Dagur's life when he was a normal person. When he was a kid, there had to be some innocence. He wasn't _born_ evil. No one was _born_ evil. Did his father make some big mistakes during his upbringing? Probably. Did that mean he had the right to run around killing anything that didn't agree with him? Absolutely not.

 _But_.

There had to be a part of him that was still innocent. Right?

And at what separated Hooligan from Berserker anyway? At what fine line did the two become the definition of the 'good side' and the 'bad guys'? At some strange past point they both had a common enemy. Dragons. Back then they weren't so different right? Maybe all Dagur needed was someone, like Hiccup, to show him the light. That could happen! If Stoick could be rearranged to accept Tooth then the same could happen for Dagur.

She was sure of that. She had _that_ much faith in Hiccup.

"So you _do_ love him."

"I didn't say that." Hea stopped and finally turned in the male twin's direction. "I said—"

"I _heard_ what you said."

"Everyone deserves a chance. It's not his fault he doesn't know any different. If we take the time maybe he can change. It happened with you at some point, didn't it?"

"Psh, there's no changing that guy. You weren't here to see what he did. Again you're such a know it all." He huffed.

Again with the name calling. "You know when I was really scared of dragons I was also really mad at Rye. It felt like she had taken Hiccup's side and just accepted dragons without caring about how I felt at all. Then she adopted Phobos. It was like she didn't care. But then she told me something."

His eyes flickered in her direction.

"Love comes in all kinds of forms."

"What does that have to do with _anything_?" He turned to her for the first time, his brows furrowed and frown growing.

"She felt love for Hiccup and what he had done. She also felt love for the dragons and felt sorry for the things she had done in the past to hurt them." Hea inhaled via her nostrils. "That doesn't mean she's 'in love' with Hiccup but it does mean that she has a great deal of respect for him. She cares about him in a different way. And that goes without mentioning Phobos. She just loves that thing for the sake of loving."

"Okay, whatever." His blue eyes rolled. "So what? That doesn't count when it comes to Dagur."

"Why not?" She felt her features relax. "I care about him, not in the way you think but I do. Because he's feeling how I used to feel when it comes to dragons. How am I so sure that he's not scared too? I want him to know that I _understand_."

 _Love doesn't always have to be romantic._

"You're still a bossy smarty-pants."

"I know."

That was okay. After all it was what made her, her, right? No one recognize her if she wasn't a bossy smarty-pants. Just like no one would know who he was if he wasn't a jerky creep. It's just the way he was and the way he needed to stay. Just so long as he didn't call her fat.

 _Jerk_.

"So you want to pass on your 'expert wisdom' from Hiccup to Dagur the Dumb-Deranged?" He asked, tone taking a lighter note.

"Pretty much."

"It won't work." He just _had_ to be frank.

"Thanks for the confidence."

"That's what I'm here for." He even managed to chuckle.

Dare she tell him at this point that she decided to back out of going with Dagur? Then again if she did there was always the backlash and the 'I told you so's' that were headed her way. Of course there was the possibility that his sister would soon end up telling him anyway, if he _wasn't_ going to be there for the confrontation. She _had_ asked for everyone to be there after all.

"So everyone deserves love huh." His voice made her flinch and snap out of thought. "Kinda sick and gross if you ask me."

"Rye's not wrong too often." Hea smirked while adjusting her backside to the hard ground below. "I believe that too. Obviously." She leaned back against the boulder they both sat in front of and allowed her smile to grow. "Even you, you creep. If that's what you're worried about."

He flinched.

"I care about you even if you're a complete jerk. I don't know what I'd do without you and your incessant name-calling. I'd miss it." The sheep herder tossed her head back and laughed. "And I know you think it's totally stupid but you're important to me."

Blushing from her random friendship speech, her eyes shut and lips came down from the smile she had formed moments ago. Great now she was in for an endless amount of teasing that would probably leave her with a migraine. Ah well, it was worth it. Just to get that bit of emotion off her chest. Maybe he needed to hear it; after all she had been such an idiot earlier in the day.

And maybe when he was older and more mature he'd understa—

The warmth of two hands on the sides of her face forced her eyes to snap open. Before any vision came into clear focus the heat from his body coming into contact with hers set every nerve in her body on fire. Pressure from a set of lips atop of her own confused her even further than she already was; what was happening?

Thumbs holding to the opening to her ears, the rest of his digits cupping the back of her lobes she could feel his touch and for the first time in her life, his skin touched hers with the kind of affection that one lover would give to another. He was touching her with _love_ and _kindness_. Not a sibling-like punch to the shoulder or a friendly high-five but a loving _kiss_.

After the feeling of blazing heat worked through her body, her limbs went frozen. Her arms were extended in his direction, fingers stiff with shock. But after a moment of connection, the icy bite faded just as the heat had and her arms gave way. Hands falling back into her lap, she felt the male against her shift in the slightest.

Wait, was this really happening?! With HIM?! Now of all times, here, and again…with _him?!_ What in Thor's good name was going on here? Since when did he…did he even…? Did this mean that he cared for her the way she cared for Hiccup? No, it couldn't. This had to be one of those 'in the heat of the moment' things. After all, he did nothing but _tease_ her all the time! Teased her and said the meanest of mean things! He went out of his _way_ to be cruel…all the time.

Always calling her out on her shit.

" _Heh, so you_ are _scared of dragons. Rye said you would be."_

Making fun of how she looked.

" _Oh come on, you need to get out in the sun, look how white your shoulders are!"_

Dissing her in front of the whole group.

" _It took you long enough to finish, I was getting tired of talking to_ her _."_

And hitting her where it hurt the most.

" _You're a big fat know it all."_

All that couldn't mean that he had romantic _feelings_ for her, could it? How is that anyway to treat someone you care for? So that meant all those mean things, name calling and sideways glances/glares were just his way of saying, 'I like ya'? No way! I couldn't be that simple! If one could call it 'simple'! What did this all _mean_?

The touch to the sides of her face gave way in almost slow motion. His hands fell away first, leaving their lips connected solely for a moment. As he pulled his mouth from hers she felt her features soften. She wasn't actually feeling _sorry_ for the guy, was she?! No! She couldn't!

 _Not now! Not ever!_

Her heart slammed in her chest cavity. How long had it been thumping away like that? Since second one when she apologized or the moment he touched her? Hard to tell now with her emotions mixed into cocktail of awkwardness.

Who was going to speak first? What would be said? Should she slap him? Hug him? Or just laugh? What would _he_ do next?

 _Does this change anything between us?_

He pulled off of her with more care than she would have expected from him. She listened to him inhale with a sharp hiss, almost as if he was just realizing what he'd done. Although he didn't _look_ shocked, he kept still. Eyebrows leveled on his face and moist lips kept in a firm line across his cheeks. Was he mad?

 _Oh Odin please, don't be mad. Don't say anything mean._

Her eyes burned as he stared back at her. Why? She had no fucking idea _why_ but it stung. It had to be the anticipation of what was to come next.

"So…" He cleared his throat. "That happened."

That…that couldn't be it. No, there had to be more to what he had to say than just THAT! He wasn't getting off that easy! Not a chance! Not after _stealing_ her first kiss that was supposed to belong to Hiccup!

"You…" Her jaw dropped. "No!" Hea shook her head back and forth. "That can't be your answer! Say something!"

His blue eyes shifted back and forth. "Something?"

"Gah!" Her hands flew up to her face and covered her stinging eyes. "Tuff! What is your problem?!"

What was he _doing_ to her? Why was this so confusing all of a sudden? He could possibly like her like _that_ after all they'd been through. This kiss…it had to be because of the type of conversation they were sharing. That they cared for each other. Not because they _loved_ one another! This had to be a nice, sociable, old fashion friend-on-friend kiss!

Right?

"You can't tell anyone." The sound of his voice caught her off guard. What was with the sudden depth and seriousness? Of course she wasn't gonna tell anyone!

"Why would I?" She ripped her palms away from her face as her cheeks burned red.

"Why was it gross?" He said pouting.

" _What_?" Did he really just ask that, after everything? _That_ was his question? "No!" The answer flew out of her mouth before she could comprehend what she was saying. "Well, not that you're gross. It's just weird. You kissing _me_? I know I'm a catch but…" Why in the world her lips kept flapping she had no idea.

 _Just say anything that comes to mind!_

"What were you thinking?"

His eyes moved away from her and his shoulders bobbed once. "I dunno, it just kinda happened. It's not like you're special or anything."

Her eyebrows dropped over her eyes. "Thanks."

"You're Hea." He continued on regardless of what she had to say. "And plus you said you didn't feel important and that's stupid."

 _What are you trying to say?_

"That should have made you feel important." He then laughed, balling up his right fist and pounding it against his flat chest. "'Cause you were kissin' _me_."

Did this have anything to do with the fact that she said she cared about him? That he was important to her? Because it was only after she said that, that he made his move. Did he finally feel safe enough to embrace her? Or was it as he said? Just because?

"You're not so bad… _all_ the time." He said a slight pink flush coming to his cheeks. "And yeah. Just…yeah."

Her heart slowed. She felt her fingers go numb and the blood drain away from her face. Well, this was quite confusing. She came to apologize and got this? For a moment everything made since, why he always had it out for her but then within the same minute everything because confusing again. Things made sense with the theory that he had a secret crush on her. But then his answer was something else completely.

"Let's get out of here. I'm getting hungry."

If he did care, that explained why he was so upset when they argued earlier. When she said she hated him, it had to have hit him hard. That's why he took off, that's why he was so hostile when she came to apologize and that was why he kissed her when she expressed any kind of affection for him.

How long had she been overlooking him? How long had he felt this way? Since they were kids?

And most important of all, above everything, how did _she_ feel about this?

"Okay, but this never leaves this cave." Hea fought off the urge to ask any questions that surged her brain. "Got it? No telling Ruffnut, _no one._ "

"Okay, okay, Ms. Bossyboots. Let's just get going. Your real boyfriend is waiting for you after all."

At least he was acting like himself already. She wasn't about to argue with him if he was going to be normal! No reason to ever bring this subject up ever, _ever_ again. What happened in this Thor-forsaken cave was going to stay in this cave. No one needed to know and for crying out loud, they (the two of them) shouldn't even have to remember what happened here!

Never again.

 _Here's to hoping_.

Act End.


	19. Act Nineteen

Author's Note: A couple of quick notes before the chapter starts. I've gotten two questions from a lovely reviewer that I would like to answer publicly.

 _Question: How old is Hea in comparison to Hiccup? And how old is Hiccup?_

Answer: Hea is two years older than Hiccup which makes her three years older than the youngest of the group, Tuffnut and Ruffnut. And Hiccup at the beginning of the story is maybe fifteen and a half, going on sixteen because it takes place six months after the events of the movie. So by _this_ point in the story (a year after the first arc of the fic) he would be roughly seventeen.

 _Question: Is there any artwork of Hea and Rye?_

Answer: Yes. My original passion before my Muse taught me everything I know about writing, was/is drawing. So I do have a DeviantART account myself as well as a Tumblr. Those links are provided on my profile page if you'd like to take a gander. The same rules apply to my artwork as it does with my writing: I am by NO MEANS a pro at this kind of stuff and I am an amateur, please forgive me if you don't like it. I have even started a comic account where I plan to draw out this fan fiction. (Someday…)

Anyway are you guys enjoying the new season of Dragons on Netflix? I haven't watched any of it yet but I've been spoiled. (Willing spoiled mind you.) I humbly ask if you have spoilers to please reframe from mentioning them in reviews for the sake of others who have yet to watch.

You wanna chat about spoilers and other fandom stuff? Please message me! I'm ALWAYS here to chat. Oh and if you guys have any other questions _please_ ask. Either through message or review, I LOVE answering them. Even if it has nothing to do with HTTYD and you just need an ear, I'm here. We can even gush about art and writing in general. Anyway enough notes, please enjoy the chapter. More to come soon.

Much love.

* * *

La Coordination

Act Nineteen

"I'm _not_ going to be babysat in my own house! That's final!"

Oh geez, not this argument again. Hiccup felt his lungs give a single heavy heave and his eyes roll. It wasn't like he and Astrid were actually doing him any harm. Just sitting in Hea's house watching him wasn't going to hurt him. Why did he have to act like such a big baby?

Dagur passed through the room, muscular arms waving about in a wild manner. Was he really not used to someone telling him 'no'? How often did Oswald the Agreeable give in to this monster of a brat? Gah. And while his constant complaining was _almost_ enough to drive him from the house, the risk of him doing something stupid behind their backs was too great.

"This wasn't part of our agreement! I call a breach of contract!"

"Is this guy for real?" Astrid asked, looking over at him from the across the kitchen table.

"Sadly enough." Hiccup lifted his right hand to his forehead and pushed back his bangs. "And the thing is, he isn't going to calm down until we leave."

"Which we aren't doing."

"I know. We can't." He pulled his fingers from his locks and let his head hang.

"That girl better get back here fast," Dagur said as he continued to march back and forth. "I want these Hooligan _freaks_ out of my house now!" He then swung around to face both him and the blonde female. "You're lucky I don't terminate this deal your father and I have going! _Two_ more minutes and I'm done." His hands came down in one single swoop. "I'll have my armada here before you can say, ' _help me Dagur, please have mercy on us!_ '"

Was he finally done ranting yet?

"Then you'll see who is superior!"

No. Apparently not.

"Look, it's just a matter of time before Hea gets back." Astrid's smooth voice seemed to silence the beast for half a second. "Then we'll work all of this out. Don't freak out just yet, okay?"

"Don't you _dare_ tell me what to do." He clenched his fists at his sides and shot the girl a look that could _almost_ kill. "And all because I wanted to be alone!"

"We aren't bothering you," Hiccup was quick to come to Astrid's defense. "Just forget that we're here. We won't say anything."

"Stop _haunting_ this house." His green eyes narrowed almost to the point where they were closed.

 _Haunting the house? That's a new one. I have to remember that one._

"Really?" The female beside him lifted a single dark blonde brow.

"That's it!" The Berserker chief threw his arms up once again before spinning away from the duo. "I'm leaving and the _second_ Chef gets back we're going to have a serious talk about what we're _all_ going to do."

Without waiting to hear their response, Dagur made a beeline for the front door. He threw his arm out at the unlocked doorknob and hurled the door wide open. He, of course, stormed out like a child and proceeded to slam the door behind himself. The force of the slam forced the ceramic plates and cups in the cupboards to shudder and rattle. Great. Now what?

"I guess this is where we get up and go after him?" Astrid sighed via her nose.

"Yep. Cue the next scene." He gave a shallow nod of his head before standing up from his chair.

"Hiccup," The sound of his name on the beauty's tongue made him freeze. "What are we going to do about this? Seriously? We can't let this go on any longer. Things are only getting worse."

"I know." The rider's features tightened. "But I haven't thought of a good plan B yet. I promise we'll get through this, try not to worry." He managed to shoot his old companion a smile.

The second his lips came to a close Astrid appeared to relax. If he could get her thinking positively then they could _both_ think of a way out of this mess. "I'm counting on you. We all are."

"Hey, you guys are _always_ counting on me, I'm used to it." He bobbed his left shoulder in her direction. "No worries. We can get through this; just try not to panic okay?"

"Me? Panic?" Her brows arched as a grin crossed her delicate cheeks. "You do know who you're talking to right?"

"I couldn't forget it."

Their eyes met. Green to blue, earth to ocean. For a brief moment he felt his lungs cease to move, refusing to inhale or exhale. They could do this, they'd been through worse. Things were going to get better and together they could _do this_. Since finding out about Toothless, she'd always been by his side. They'd always conquered whatever obstacle that came their way. They were strongest as a team.

She gave him one solid nod of her head. "Let's go get 'em."

"Right."

And with that the girl lifted herself from her seat and joined him at the front door. Hiccup managed to pop the door back open and allowed the lady to step out first. He followed until they both stood outside the small home. Dagur, who hadn't strayed far, stood several feet away from the doorstep still ranting and raving. Huh, you think he'd get tired of hearing himself talk. Whatever floated his boat. Just as long as he wasn't hurting anyone.

And of course there was a trump card if that happened.

His eyes flickered away from the big Berserker baby and over to the Night Fury and Deadly Nadder who sat about ten feet from the house. The two dragons seemed tense, had they been on edge since Dagur left the house? Who could blame them? After all the crazed chief had done in the past? Yeah, it'd be strange if they _weren't_ on their toes.

"What's all this ruckus about?"

The sound of Stoick the Vast's voice made the dragon rider freeze. Great. Now what? Mix together one part stubborn Viking chief and two parts enraged Dagur the Deranged and _nothing_ good was going to come out of it.

Hiccup turned to the sound of his father's voice and saw him standing alongside Gobber, just inches away from Toothless and Stormfly. Stoick's arm moved outward in a gentle motion, the back of his massive hand stopping just short of the Night Fury's snout. In response the dragon took a few sniffs before head-butting his giant lizard noggin against his hand.

At least _they_ were getting along.

"Stoick!" Dagur whirled around to face the larger Berk chief. "We need to talk about your baby chick!"

"Oh?" The older male cocked a single thick brow.

"Hiccup? What could lil 'ol Hiccup do to upset you now?" Gobber asked with a smile creeping across his face.

Oh and here it went.

"I refuse to be treated like some sort of infant!" The guest of honor shouted, while he closed the distance between himself and the Hooligan leader. "Your sad excuse for a boy insists on following me where ever I go! I _thought_ we had a deal. I _thought_ you wanted that peace treaty signed!"

"He's just being careful," Stoick's eyes narrowed. "There was nothing about this in our deal. My son can go where he pleases."

"I need my privacy! I want to be alone!"

"If you want to be alone so bad, why don't you go back home?" Astrid threw her bit in, her slender arms crossing over her bust. "We don't need your peace treaty and we don't trust you. Just go back home."

"You really wanna risk that?" Dagur turned to the lone female.

"We have before."

"Now, now." Gobber came forward with his good palm facing outward as if to pause the argument. "We don't need to fight. We can work this out."

"You're getting what you want," Astrid went on, regardless of what Gobber and his father had to say. "You _have_ what you want, why don't you just leave? No one wants you here."

The madman flinched. For the first time since knowing the older male, Hiccup watched as he stammered mid stance. Almost as if he was shocked or taken back, his once ridged body loosened for a second and a half before becoming stiff once again. His dark red brows pointed downward, hanging heavy over his sharp eyes while his left cheek twitched almost beyond his control.

"Oh, you're very willing to get rid of your friend I see." He countered with an insult that made the golden-haired girl wince.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." She bit back regardless of his first strike.

"Now, that's enough." His father stepped in as per the norm. "Hiccup," Oh no, not _that_ tone. The rider knew that tone all too well, "Where are the others? Where is Hea?"

"It's a long story actually." He answered, letting his head hang in the slightest. "But they should be on their way back…soon…I'm hoping."

"Some usual stupid, spoiled Hooligan drama that's all." Dagur said straight after him, now locking his arms over his chest just as Astrid had seconds earlier.

"I'm sure it's something worthwhile," Gobber said with a crooked smile. "We Hooligans don't always fight over something stupid. Right Stoick? We resolved that Snoggletog flag color fiasco right up! There were only three reported head injuries when that ended."

Oh wonderful, this was working out just perfectly. The dragon trainer felt his head sink further between his shoulders. This wasn't helping at all. Especially because at this point anything was liable to make Dagur even angrier. Heck even un-popped popcorn would throw the guy into a fit of rage that would never end!

Humor, while refreshing, wasn't gonna help.

"I'm calling off this mission, right here and right now if I don't get what I came for." Dagur ripped his arms from his chest and approached his father.

"There isn't much I can do if the girl isn't here," Stoick answered back, holding his ground with the strength of five Viking chiefs. "We haven't worked out all of the kinks of this deal anyhow. We still have the option of backing out if we feel fit. And seeing all of this behavior is making me think twice about letting our sheep herder go with you."

"You can't be serious." His lip twitched.

"How can I be sure she'll be safe?"

"Have I not earned your trust? I've done nothing but respect you since arriving here!" His voice lifted several octaves, the tone making Hiccup grimace.

"No, all you've done since getting here is complain, order us around, insult us and pin us against one another." Astrid stepped up, coming between the two chiefs. "It's so obvious that you're playing Hea to get to us!"

"How _dare_ you even suggest something so _evil_?" The Berserker halted his step. "To think I came here with thoughts and hopes of _peace_! We need to become allies, don't you see that?" If the deranged man was lying, he was doing a good job at it. "With your dragons and my armada we could become the greatest Viking tribe in the entire world! Nothing would hold us back from greatness!" He threw his arms up into the air. "Nothing could stop us!"

Gobber leaned into his best friend and whispered. "Okay, he's totally lost it."

"No!" Stoick broke away from both son and friend and stepped toward Dagur. "That's not what this peace treaty is about! That's not what we're signing up for and you know it."

"But just _think_ of the possibilities!"

A loud yet familiar sound of dragons roaring stopped the group from talking any further. Hiccup tilted his head up to see his fellow riders on their way over. He narrowed his eyes to see Barf and Belch equipped with _three_ riders. Good! At least one thing went right today.

With her arms tucked around his torso he watched as Hea and Tuffnut sat on Belch's neck. The very fact that they were sitting together had to mean that they had made up. It also helped to see that they looked anything but disgusted with one another. They might not be getting along but at least they were being civil.

Hookfang, Snotlout and Rye came in first, landing on the ground just a few feet from the scene of the action. The others followed and once they were all grounded they began to hop off their riding companions with care.

"Thank Thor you're here," Astrid broke from her spot between Stoick and Dagur and rushed to Rye and Snotlout. "We're gonna need all the backup we can get."

"Why? What's going on?" Fishlegs appeared, his usual look of worry washing over his features. "He isn't getting all deranged on us now, is he?"

"Worse than that," The blonde sneered, her glare directed toward the main problem source. "He's gone insane! Talking about becoming the most powerful Viking tribe and taking over the world with our dragons!"

"What?!" Rye's jaw dropped.

"That actually sounds kinda cool." Snotlout pouted his lip and gave a nod of his head.

"We have to settle this agreement now," Astrid continued, no doubt leaving Snot's comment completely out of her brain for the time being. "We can't let this go on. Hea," She addressed the youngest of the sisters with a stern tone.

"Yeeeeah?" The lone short-haired female shrunk in size, the subject and sudden focus on her decision probably making her weak in the knees.

"Come on; tell Dagur you're not going with him so we can end this now. We'll be fine without that peace treaty, nothing will change." The matriarch's expression shifted to one of compassion rather than aggression. "You don't have to do this for us."

"Go on," Ruffnut chimed in, standing right beside the shaken sheep herder. "Tell 'em that you don't want to do this anymore! Told 'em what you told me and Rye! You're backing outta this!"

Like someone had stabbed the eighteen year old girl with a hot spike, her back snapped straight and her eyebrows touched the top of her forehead. Her skin grew pale and a small drop of sweat moved from her hairline to the end of her chin. Her cocoa colored eyes dilated before she whipped left to face Ruffnut. The girl pursed her lips together in a silent 'shh' that everyone took note of.

"Oh?" The depth of Dagur's voice made Hea freeze. "So you've made up your mind, have you?"

"Well…"

"You've been talking behind my back?"

"Dagur," Hea loosened her body and took a single step forward.

"What happened to that plan you had? That plan to save Berk from the Dagur the Deranged? To restore that pathetic honor you wasted when you left your sick sister all those years ago?" He asked, on the brink of laughing. Did he find this amusing?

"What is he talking about?" Rye spun around to face her sister.

"Nothing." The girl's font teeth bit down on her bottom lip.

"Well, that's all and good." The Berserker leader gave a rather dramatic shrug of his massive shoulders before stepping away from Astrid, Stoick and Gobber. "I understand, I get it. This is a big decision for such a little girl and it was cruel of me to expect an answer so soon." He lifted his head high, now bypassing him, Fishlegs, the twins and Hea.

"Wait." Tuffnut leaned in with a confused look on his face. "You're not mad?"

"Me? Nooo, not at all." The larger male tucked his two arms behind his lower back and proceeded on until he came to a stop in front of Snotlout and Rye.

"Well, if you're not mad we can wrap this up right?" Snotlout broke into a goofy smile that no doubt made Dagur's blood boil. "Ship you back home and we can get back to life!"

"Of course, of _course_." His shoulders bent back, allowing his chest to expand as much as Vikingly possible. "But if I could ask a question, you know because I _will_ be leaving."

"Uhhh," Snotlout's dark eyes bounced left then right. "Who? Me?" He then proceeded to jab his index finger into his chest. "Sure."

Oh no, no. This was _not_ good. Something bad was right around the corner, wasn't it? This act, while _almost_ convincing, has to be just that, an act. Dagur the Deranged wasn't anything like Oswald the Agreeable! This had to be a ploy, just like everything else he'd done since arriving.

But he wouldn't try anything too stupid, would he? After all their dragons were within reaching distance. And if he _did_ decided to be a complete moron then Toothless would lead the attack that would surely put him out of his misery. Either that or send him home with one less limb. Kinda hard to tell what the Night Fury would do when his whole family was put in danger. And within such tight quarters too…

"What happened between today and yesterday that changed my chef's mind? Mouse?" He turned to Rye with a neutral look that sent shivers down the rider's spine.

"What does it matter now?" The eldest woman tucked her chin in the slightest while her hands trembled. "It's over."

"I just want to know who to thank."

"Thank? Thank for what?" 'Lout piped up, his question forcing Hiccup to slap his left hand against his forehead.

Dagur's green eyes came to a close. He stopped only to inhale through his nostrils. And two seconds after his chest expanded then deflated, he reopened his eyelids. His focus narrowed in on the only cousin Hiccup had.

Oh no, here it came.

"I meant it when I said I wasn't mad." He stated, face as solid and stoic as the Hooligan chief. "I'm _furious_."

Aaaaaand here it was.

"And I want to thank whoever it was who changed the girl's mind." Although his face refused to change, his voice became harder, rougher and deeper. He kept his arms tucked behind his back and stood straight, like he wasn't planning on moving anytime soon. "So, who was it?"

"I decided on this myself." Hea moved out from between the twins and stood up to the Berserker.

" _Please_ ," Dagur rolled his eyes, "I know you aren't smart enough to plan this on your own. Besides, all that will power you had wouldn't allow you to suddenly change your mind without help."

"Come on," Snot moved forward, catching the younger chief off guard. "Don't be mad! We can all still be buddies, maybe work on the 'strongest tribe in the universe' thing, you know be simpatico."

A single crimson brow flinched.

"We can work this out!" The shortest male extended his arms open to the enemy.

"Snot, shut _up_." Astrid hissed from several feet away.

"No, no! I'm just startin' to get somewhere!" His reply was quick, his attention still on Dagur.

A pale hand landed on Snotlout's thick shoulder. He flinched upon contact and gazed over his shoulder to see Rye. Her look of defiance and faded and a new look of worry washed over her face. "Snot."

"What?"

"You know what?" Dagur's voice made the group of Hooligans stiffen. "It doesn't matter who changed Chef's mind. Because I'm just going to take out my frustrations on the next idiot who spews their stupidity."

"See?" Snotlout turned his chin over his shoulder to face the rest of the crowd. "We're _getting_ somewhere! Making progress!"

 _Please shut up, please shut up!_

The bile from the smallest male rider's stomach bubbled and rumbled about and even managed to make a guest appearance in the bottom of his throat. Great, this was _not_ working out to their advantage. Things were going sour _fast_. Something needed to happen and happen _now_.

The low growl and hiss from the back caught Hiccup's attention. He took a quick second to tear his eyes off Dagur to see the dragons circling around the group of Vikings. One more aggravated than the next, they all stood strong and appeared to prepare themselves for whatever was going to come next.

The familiar sound of Toothless made the rider more nervous than anything. After all, the Night Fury had seen what kind of wrath the Berserker could dish out, first hand.

"I'm glad you all think this is a joke," Dagur spoke again, the rumbling sound of his pitch setting the dragons off even further. "That _I'm_ a joke."

 _Oh geez, this is gonna get worse before it gets better, isn't it?_

He held his head high as he removed his clenched hands from behind his back. "Do you really think I came all the way down here, to your Odin-forsaken island, to play games?" His hands found a new home at his waist. "You must take me for a fool."

 _If the boot fits._

"We're not taking you for anything." Hea spoke, her palms placed in front of her chest.

"This is done. You're," His emerald eyes moved to each Hooligan and city slicker with careful precision. "All done."

Silence.

This was juuuuust perfect! This was not the way this was supposed to turn out. War was a given at this point. Now it was just a matter of preparing for what the Berserker armada was going to bring. Dragons against Vikings once more, it never ended.

Now things, people, dragons were all guaranteed to get hurt in some way or another. No matter which side, Berserker or Hooligan, someone was bound to get injured in the fray of battle. This didn't need to happen! Things could have worked out; they could _still_ work things out! There had to be a way to change his mind, there had to be a better answer to this.

"So I guess you aren't gonna sign that peace treaty."

The group of adults and young adults moaned at the sound of Snot's latest comment, all expect the most important Viking chief. He stood still, hands still fisted and back ridged to the point where he looked almost like he was frozen solid.

"When I'm done with you, you're going to wish you were never born. All of you." Dagur's dark eyes flickered across the sea of teens and stopped only on the biggest idiot in the surrounding area.

And with each step Hookfang, who had been shadowing Snot and Rye became louder with his growls and snarls. The sharp scales along his slender back shot up into the air while his cat-like eyes narrowed in on Dagur.

The red-headed man came nearly nose to nose with Snotlout and lifted his right hand. With his index finger, he poked the shorter boy in the chest three times before speaking, "And I'm going to start with you, you sorry, stupid excuse for a Hooligan!"

"Hey! Chill out, what is your problem?!" Snotlout refused to back down, even with the loud roar of Hookfang in the background echoing through the small area.

"Hookfang!" Rye whirled around and closed the distance between herself and the excited lizard. "Snot, you have to calm Hookfang down!"

Like some sort of trigger, the other surrounding dragons let out their own set of roars and bellows, each becoming louder than the next. Toothless leapt forward, coming at equal side distance with Hiccup and stood strong. His ears fell flat on his head and he exposed his sharp row of teeth.

"Shut that animal up before I do it for you!"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?! What are you gonna do about it?!" Instead of listening to anyone but his instincts, his cousin carried on. "Hookfang, come on we can take this loser!"

"Snot, _no_." Rye snapped from the back, her hands just barely hovering over Hookfang's scales.

No doubt they were growing hot with all the stress he was feeling.

"Snotlout!" Stoick the Vast's raspy voice boomed, his input being the only one to put an end to the shortest male's assault.

His cousin broke the death stares by dipping his chin and allowing his blue eyes to flicker back to Rye. The older female waited for him to turn away from Dagur and only relaxed when Snotlout stood beside her. The Nightmare however refused to relax, his large yellow eyes still glued to the Berserker who kept his glare on the dragon-human trio.

"If you won't fight then I'll _make_ you fight."

The sound of steel being unsheathed forced Hiccup's heart to stop. No, no way. This couldn't be happening, not like this. The same feeling that had racked his nerves the day Hea pulled her hunting knife on Stormfly exploded in his mind. Memories, flashbacks, whatever he could call them; they came rushing back faster than expected. His heart, that moments ago felt as if it'd stopped, picked up now beating at a rate that he couldn't count. His lungs hitched and try as he might to breathe in, his chest refused to expand.

" _I have to get out of here!"_

Hea's screams back then were just as fresh now as the day they happened. And in so many ways, this paralleled that. The same look on his face, the same feeling in his heart, the same _hurt_ that his conscious felt when he couldn't _stop_ it.

The bright glare from Dagur's blade in the midday light, forced Hiccup to wince. Why couldn't he move beyond the grimace his face had twisted into? Was _he_ scared? No, he couldn't be scared. And _if_ he was, what would he be afraid of? Dagur? The knife? Or was it just the idea of someone he cared about getting hurt?

Why was it that his mind could rush with so many questions but his limbs refused to move an inch?

"I'll cut your dragon into pieces! Then you'll think twice about toying with me!"

Just as the words flew from his mouth, Rye darted away from Hookfang and Snotlout's side and stood before the two of them with her arms extended out. As if to shield the ones she cared the most for, she stood still without moving an inch.

The knife was waved left then right.

"Dagur!" Hea leapt forward and threw her body in front of the madman. "Stop!" And almost faster than his eyes could see, the sheep herder reached out and grabbed Dagur's right hand with both of her palms.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He snapped, glaring down at her.

As the two wrestled for the small knife, the sound of a roaring flame made Hiccup finally take a step onward. Looking up, he watched as Hookfang ignited himself with the fire. The hot embers consumed the crimson dragon even as Snotlout moved toward his partner with his hands and fingers reaching too close to the flames.

"Hookfang! Calm down!" He shouted.

He moved in closer. He only stopped when the heat became too much and he snapped his arms back toward his chest. He hissed out, his reflexes forcing him to inspect the damage done to his palms. After hearing and no doubt seeing what transpired through her peripheral vision, Rye sprang into action and left her post as human shield for Hookfang. She made a dash for Snot and stood by him as they both took a close look at his hands.

"Get off me!"

"Dagur just stop!"

Hiccup exhaled. His legs finding some kind of movement, he began to make his way to Dagur and Hea when the sound of Hookfang inhaling a deep breath of air made him freeze. His eyes flickered away from the duo that fought for the knife and toward the dragon who had released a large ball of fire in _their_ direction.

 _This is happening too fast._

"Hea!"

The sound of hard metal hitting the solid ground echoed and shattered through the valley. The hunting knife that had been the object of focus hit the floor, bouncing twice before finally settling in the grass.

A second, louder thud forced his blood to run cold. And suddenly the couple who had been fighting so hard for control of the blade became one standing person. Hea, taken by her two shoulders, after dropping the knife, had been shoved to the floor and out of range of the incoming flame. By _Dagur_.

Dagur.

Dagur had pushed Hea to the floor. Away from the fire ball. He couldn't have taken the heat for her, could he? Not on purpose! Did he?

 _Did he just save her from getting burned?_

Her knees grinded against the grass and soil, her hands catching her upper torso before she could crash to the floor. Now on her hands and knees, she turned her head up. Her eyes dilated once they adjusted on Dagur. What happened?

Hiccup followed her invisible line from her eyes to what she had been watching so intently. There stood Dagur the Deranged with his arm bent so his forearm could protect his face from the blazing heat. Between his wrist and elbow steam and smoke left his skin, the smell of burning flesh hitting the cold air.

 _A burn…_

Act End.


	20. Act Twenty

La Coordination

Act Twenty

"He'll be fine. It's a moderate second degree burn." Rye pressed her body against the doorway that separated the bedroom from the kitchen and living room. "It might scar but that's all."

A burn. Hea gripped her hands at her sides and inhaled via her nostrils. This again? This couldn't be happening _again_. And this time there wasn't any denying it, this was _her_ fault. Something like this was bound to happen, hell she knew that. But still, she made it worse. If only she'd agreed to go with him. This…might not have happened.

And it wasn't just Dagur.

 _Snot._

Hea gazed up at her older sister to see the girl in physical pain. Not because she had been hurt during the scuffle but because Snotlout had been burned. By his _own_ dragon.

Why did she have to go for that knife like that? It made sense now that the ruckus going on between her and Dagur only set Hook off even further. After all, Hook had been there that day when _she_ pulled her knife on Storm. It probably looked really bad to a creature who knew no better. What was the dragon supposed to think? It was flight or fight for that animal, it wasn't his fault.

"How is Snot?"

"Fine." Rye blinked slowly. "He barely has a first degree burn. He just needs to rest his hands and keep them wrapped. I'm sure he's waiting outside right now." The nurse looked up to her taller yet younger sibling. "How are you?"

Why in Thor's name would she ask how _she_ was doing? She hadn't been hurt. If anything she'd been _saved_. Nothing bad had happened to her. "I'm fine."

"Your knees say otherwise."

Knees? Hea broke her eye contact with her best friend to look down. Her knit pants bore two medium sized holes right at the knee joint. Her skin was exposed and two small scraps adorned her caps, both of which refused to even bleed. She was fine. No need to worry about that.

Not right now anyway. Under normal circumstances, she could use these little cuts to her advantage and milk her sister and friends for all the attention they could give. But right now? No.

 _Maybe next time._

"It doesn't even hurt. I'm worried about them." She said, nudging her chin in the direction of the back bedroom where Dagur rested then to the backward to the exiting door.

"I know." Rye's brown eyes bounced elsewhere. "Me too."

 _Even about Dagur?_

"How about we go outside? I'm betting everyone's waiting to hear the news." The older sister cleared her throat before bypassing Hea and made her way to the front door. "They're probably worried about you too."

"'Kay."

Her heart slammed in her chest cavity. Seeing the others again, why was that idea so scary? Was it because she had done something so stupid hours before that she was ashamed to show her mug again? That had to be it. This time wasn't any different from the time she faced everyone after the reunion party. After she had struck Tooth in front of _everyone_.

Damn, why'd she have to be so rash all the time? Especially when it mattered the most.

Her hands trembled.

The door opened before she could gather the strength to see the people behind it. The dying sunlight hit her skin and made her grow even warmer than she already was. She couldn't be blushing now! Not in front of everyone, not after what happened.

He had said something to her before he shoved her to the ground. She wasn't sure if anyone else had heard it or was even aware that he had spoken to her, but he had. And while what he said didn't _mean_ anything special in the long run, he had said _something_ to her.

" _Move, stupid girl!"_

What he said meant that he knew what was coming and he _wanted_ her to get out of the way. If he had said that and _not_ pushed her, it wouldn't have meant anything but the combination of doing both meant that he didn't want her in the way. He didn't _want_ her to get hurt.

Right?

Why…why would he care? Why would he do something like that?

Maybe. Just _maybe_ , she was right.

" _Just a bit of good, I just_ knew _there was a bit of good somewhere deep down inside."_

Could that be true? Could there be something worth saving inside that demented little brain that belonged to Dagur the Deranged?

" _Love comes in all kinds of forms."_

 _Love…love…_ love.

"-ea?"

What?

"Hea? Are you okay?" The sound of Hiccup's voice was enough to snap her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head, "Yeah! Sorry, I was spacing. What are we doing now?"

"I just asked if you were okay," Hiccup answered back, his face a complete wreck with looks of concern. "You took a hard tumble. You aren't hurt?"

Hea's eyes darted away from her secret crush and moved to the surrounding Vikings. They all were present and accounted for, which was a good thing. The only two missing were Stoick and Gobber; both who were probably at some kind of meeting. Of course this was something to be talked about, something the community should be worried about.

She soon found herself staring at Snotlout. The shortest male stood beside Fishlegs at the far left. His hands at chest level. Did they hurt too much to keep down at his sides? Maybe the rush of blood down to his fingertips was too painful for the time being. Either way, his digits and palm were wrapped up tight with the help of Rye's doing. At least he looked okay. He didn't _seem_ angry.

"Nah," She once again, shook her head. "I'm fine."

"He didn't need to toss you around like that." Ruffnut crossed her arms over her chest. "What's his deal?"

"That could have ended up pretty bad," Astrid added. "You're lucky he happened to push you when the fire was headed your way. You're also pretty fortunate that you didn't land on that knife of his."

"Yeah…" Why did they have to _blame_ him like that?

"So how is he?" Fishlegs turned the attention to Rye.

"He'll be okay." The four-eyed female crossed her arms over her bust. "He's sleeping right now; the valerian tea I gave him will keep him tired for a while. I also put some honey on his burn and wrapped it up." She then let out a lengthy sigh, "I'm just worried what's going to happen when he wakes up. He's gonna be really pissed. Not only because of what happened because its gonna sting."

"Oh wonderful!" Fish threw his muscular arms into the air and spun away from the group. "Just what we need!"

"Snot, are you okay?" Hea broke the subject by turning to the boy her sister cared a little too much for.

As if her question or the very fact that she was speaking to him shocked him, Snot jumped while standing. He took a short stupid moment to point to himself (best as he could now with his injury) and asked, "Who me?"

She slouched forward and rolled her eyes. "Yes you, you numbskull."

"Oh yeah, I'm totally okay." The object of attention shut his eyes and stood straight with a confident smile. "It's gonna take more than a little burn to scare me! It doesn't even hurt!"

"Suuure," Tuffnut crossed his noddle arms over his flat chest and shot 'Lout a sideways glance. "You were probably crying like a baby when Rye was fixing you up."

"Yeah," The female twin was quick to add to her brother's sudden assault. "Give us the details, Rye!"

All eyes and ears opened wide and directed toward Rye, who in response stood with her arms stiff. Her dark colored eyes moved elsewhere while she released a low sigh, "A nurse is sworn to her code of privacy and confidentially, I can't just tell you guys what went on."

"Lame." Tuff pouted along with his sister.

"See? I was as strong as an ox." Snotlout bent forward as much as he could and presented a smirk to his peers.

"Rye didn't say anything like that!" Ruff barked back. "She just said that she was can't tell us how much of a baby you really were!"

"No way!" The shortest member of the group turned to the oldest female and whined. "Rye tell 'em that I wasn't a kid about my burn. You can tell them that much."

Cocoa-colored eyeballs rolled, "Snot was really good about the wound cleaning, okay? A lot better than I originally thought anyway. So stop badgering him. It wasn't at all like Tuff two summers ago when he needed stitches."

"Hey!" Said boy was sure to share his bit. "I was a kid back then plus we aren't allowed to talk about that anymore, it was too long ago to remember. I'm surprised you remember Rye, seeing as how old you're getting."

" _Tuff_." Hea shot the boy, who in more than one way landed on her naughty list, a fierce glare. "Knock it off."

"Psh." For _once_ he relented. Probably due to what happened earlier in the day.

"Anyway," Astrid broke into the conversation, bringing back the most important subject of all. "I suggest we all keep our distance from him, save for you Hea."

"That's not a bad idea considering that he probably wants to rip us to shreds." Fishlegs added, now facing the group like he had when Hea first came outside. "Are you going to be okay alone with him?" He asked, directing his line of sight toward her.

"We'll work things out. You know me; I'm awesome at stuff like that." Even though her words _sounded_ confident on the outside, inside she was shivering from head to toe.

How as she supposed to salvage this one? Sure she had made a ton of mistakes in the past but this one topped them all. If she had just…ugh.

 _I don't even know anymore._

"It's getting late anyway and I need to start dinner," Her eyes shifted away from the small group of Vikings she had come to call family. "Rye you'll be with Snot right?"

"Yeah." Her sister nodded in her peripheral vision. "If you need me for any reason, don't hesitate okay?"

That sounded a lot easier said than done.

"Oh yeah, sure."

XoXoX

The splash of cold water over her hands sent a chill through her body that only came to a stop at the tips of her toes. Once drenched as much as possible, Hea moved her right hand over until her fingertips grabbed at the small bar of lye soap at the end of the counter.

 _I hate this stuff. It always dries out my skin._

Bringing her right hand back to meet with her left, she shifted the bar between her fingers until a small amount of foam sprang from between her digits. She dropped the soap afterward and proceeded to rub her palms together for a solid ten seconds.

"What's taking so long over there?"

Her hands touched the running faucet's water once more. The urge to roll her eyes surged her nerves but she resisted, after all it was _her_ fault they were in this situation. Even if her back was turned to him, she didn't really have the right to do that now. Maybe someday in the future but not at a time like this.

"Almost done." She said in response just as the soapy foam washed off her hands.

She gave her arms a few shakes, allowing the droplets of water to spray every each way before turning about to face her guest. Her legs came to life and headed his way, her semi-wet hands grabbing a towel in the meantime. Her skin rubbed against the terrycloth and her eyes landed on her instruments she'd soon use on Dagur the Deranged. Honey, gauze, towels and a single spoon.

Hea's brown eyes then moved away from her tools and to the young man that lay in her sister's bed. With his arm still locked in the sling Rye had given him two days ago, his attention remained on the bandaged part of his forearm. With his left hand and index finger he poked and scratched at the two day old wrap.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her lips aching to smile.

"It itches." He replied, not bothering to let up on his constant picking.

Aw, why was his focused look and child-like attitude almost cute? _Almost_. "According to Rye, it's supposed to itch. It's a good sign that your burn is healing." Hea tossed her towel aside and took the small seat at his bedside.

"Make it stop itching." Dagur finally turned his chin up to face her.

"I can't." Her brows furrowed.

"Ugh," His emerald eyes rolled and his tongue clicked against his teeth. "Can't you do anything right or own your own? Your sister fixed me up the other day just fine, can't you do any better?"

Her heart cracked. "Ouch." Beyond the social trauma he was burying her under, she continued on with her work and reached out to the male, her hands landing on his thick, bold shoulder. "Rye is busy with Snot's burn right now. Not to mention she doesn't exactly care for you. So it's just me today."

His lids fell heavy over his eyes and an intense frown etched on his mouth. "I shouldn't be surprised. It's always just you."

Was that a bad thing or not? Hard to tell with the mean look shooting in her direction. That had to be some kind of jab at the fact that she was alone. Ah well, he'd said meaner in the past, this shouldn't be anything new or unexpected.

So her work went on, whether he was in a bad mood or not. Her fingers worked through the thick fabric of the sling adored on his arm until her tips touched the tight knot that Rye had tied days before. With quick work she undid the simple knot and allowed his arm to come free. The moment his arm came loose from the cloth, his muscles tensed.

 _What's that about?_

Hea moved the sling to the left side of the bed before plucking the spoon and small jar or honey from the table that stood between the sister's beds. With a quick twist of the wrist she stirred the metal utensil within the jar before scooting closer to her patient.

"What are you doing now?" He asked. Dare she think this was his secret way of asking if it was going to hurt?

"The same thing Rye did to you the other day." She answered her right fingers abandoning the spoon handle momentarily. "It's nothing big, just a little more honey then a redressing. It'll only take a few minutes."

"Aren't you supposed to rinse this first?" The questions went on, this time with the addition of Dagur lifting his injured arm mid-air. "It only makes sense. Don't tell me you're doing this for the first time. I can't risk an infection."

Figures that this _was_ her first session in burn-wound cleaning. But he didn't have to know that. Even after having Rye burnt all those years ago, she never cleaned the wounds herself. Gobber always did that kind of stuff, and seeing as how babyish she was about the matter there wasn't any way she would take care of that kind of thing. Not to mention the look of her sister's burn (at the time) made her really queasy.

"Rye gave me specific instructions on how to do this. Trust me, I can do this. You can ask her later about the logistics about how honey works on burns but this is the way she told me to do it."

"You better be good at _something_ and that something better be this."

"Hey I'm good at somethings!" Hea felt her inner spark flare. "Like cooking! You like my stew, didn't you?" She asked, pouting her lips. "I didn't hear you _complaining_ any when you were eating it."

"I've had better stew."

Her eyes narrowed. _Don't argue with him, it's what he wants. Stay calm!_

The former sheep herder gave a slow and short shake of the noggin before reaching her writing arm outward. The moment the tips of her fingers touched his skin she felt his entire arm taut, to the point to where she could see the muscle definition of his biceps. Why so tense all of a sudden?

 _Is this the first time I've touched his bare skin?_

Her gaze flickered up until they found his green eyes staring back at her. Inside she felt her heart jump into her throat. Why did he have to _stare_ at her like that? And where had she seen that exact look before? The same green watch that sent shivers and goosebumps rampant through her soul?

 _Toothless_. _He looks just like Toothless_.

With the same intensity and sternness he looked down at her like she was some sort of strange, odd girlish creature. The Night Fury had only gazed down at her in such a manner during the first few meetings they shared but it was the same. Almost like she were a peon that bore witness to the greatness that was 'himself'. Of course the time that Tooth looked at her like that was the time _after_ she pelted him on the schnauze in front of the whole Viking community.

The two, Berserker and dragon had more in common than originally thought. Now only if everyone, including Dagur, could see that.

"Get on with it already."

Oh geez, how long was she dozing off into space?!

"Right."

Hea moved her right hand further along his arm, her digits rubbing against his skin. At some point, if she had to imagine it, she would have assumed that his skin would be beyond scarred and tough like leather but this was quite the contrary. Why was he so _soft_? Sure he had rows of crimson-colored hair that lined up and down his entire forearm but the hairs felt more like peach fuzz than anything. Was that the reason why he flinched moments before? Or was it about something else.

 _When was the last time someone touched you like this?_ _Are you nervous about being touched?_

For a short second her fingertips clenched against the softness that was Dagur. The older male became ridged at the touch and nearly pulled away from her. Again their eyes met, this time Hea gazing from beneath a set of thick lashes and Dagur glaring down from a position of power. If he wanted to, at this point and angle, he could give her a single whack to beat her away from his injury but instead, he remained stiff.

"I'm going use the honey now."

"Then _do_ it." His already narrowed stare shrunk. "You're wasting my time just sitting there gawking at me."

 _Yes sir, geez._

With his arm in the perfect spot for more honey application, Hea moved her right hand back to the spoon handle stuck within the sticky honey jar. With a hardy scoop, she released the utensil from its trap and proceeded to shift it toward her patient. Her eyes flickered from the spoonful of honey back to Dagur multiple times, making certain that she didn't drip anything on his clothes or the bedspread but at the same time making sure he didn't wince out in pain.

"Tell me if it hurts." She muttered just under her breath.

He refused to answer her, only humming a deep rumble from the bottom of his throat. And even as she made contact, spoon to healing burn, he remained silent. Not flinching, stiffening or deep inhalations, just the sound of soft breaths leaving his nostrils.

Smearing the thick coating right then left, Hea pulled in her bottom lip as she applied more pressure to his wound. This wasn't hurting at all? Huh. At least his burn was looking better, better than it had in the last forty-eight hours anyway.

"It doesn't sting?" She asked, eyes moving up.

He sat still, eyes shut and lips in a firm line. Again he released a low rumble that ripped through the tiny bedroom. At this the sheep herder tilted her head and leaned in just a tad. Almost as if he could feel her moving in, his eyelids lifted.

"Aren't you done yet?"

"So I'm assuming it doesn't hurt." The girl felt her brows grow heavy. "How's the itching at least?" She carried on with her smearing, her attention falling back on her work. "Any better?"

"You ask too many questions."

"The least you could do is answer them. I want to know if you're okay, I want to make sure I'm not hurting you." With just enough honey added to his affected area, she slowly removed the spoon from his forearm and placed both it and the jar on the side table at her left.

"Can't that brain of yours think of anything original?" He huffed and turned his chin away from her. "Stop pretending already. There isn't anyone around to see your 'nice girl' act."

' _Nice girl act'?_

What the? What was _that_ supposed to mean? Where would he get the idea that she was putting on a show for anyone? Did that mean that up until this point he believed she was being a phony? Why in the world would she do something like that? After all, hadn't she proved herself enough by just agreeing to go with him?! She was the _only_ one to show him any kind of kindness back then and even now. Why was he so paranoid?

" _Tell 'em that you don't want to do this anymore! Told 'em what you told me and Rye! You're backing outta this!"_

Oh yeah there was that little chestnut. Or maybe…

" _What happened to that plan you had? That plan to save Berk from the Dagur the Deranged? To restore that pathetic honor you wasted when you left your sick sister all those years ago?"_

Damn. She did have a bigger part in this didn't she? More than she originally took blame for. _Shit_.

"It _wasn't_ an act." Her tone came out a bit more harsh than her heart would have wanted. Figures her stubborn brain would get in the way of her trying to be a nice person. "I was nice to you, that part is true. You're just super paranoid about everything and everyone to think it was an act."

For a moment he stayed silent. "And you're an idiot for trusting me." A small smirk appeared on his features.

"This is also true." She bit back as she reached for a new, clean gauze wrap. "You know I don't wanna toot my own horn but I was the only sucker on this island who thought you might be a good guy. And you know what I found out?"

"Don't ask me questions, ever." His gaze turned elsewhere once again.

"Well," Making sure to completely ignore his previous comment she carried on with talking as well as wrapping his arm. "I've come to find that I'm more confused than ever about you."

From out of the corner of her eye she saw a glint of green flash in her direction. So had she gotten his attention? At least he was listening. It was more than he'd done for her in the past. It was the most she could ask for, for him to listen to her without interrupting with a rude comment.

"You are by far the meanest, nastiest person I've ever known. You're rude, cruel, and selfish and for the life of me, I'm not sure why I had so much faith in you." Hea looped the gauze around his open burn and moved on to placing the cloth wrap back around his arm. "I told Rye that I wanted to be the one to change you for the better but I know now I can't."

She was no Hiccup, she couldn't change people. She didn't have the ability, power or talent for changing people whether it be for better or worse. While Hiccup had all the capability to change hearts for good, Dagur had all the dominance and determination to make people see into their evil ways. Some people had this forte but not her. Good or evil, sin or virtue she was way more of a follower than leader.

She had to become used to that idea.

She couldn't control everything within arm's reach just because she _wanted_ to. She had to let all her ideals of control go and let things work themselves out. It was for the better.

"I can't because I don't _have_ to."

He flinched.

"You aren't a bad person, I know you aren't. I've _seen_ it for myself."

" _Move, stupid girl!"_

"Deep down you're a good person, right?"

"Wrong."

Hea reached over for the sling that lay on the right side of the bed and only paused when she heard a chuckle leave his lips. For a short second she allowed her eyes to close then reopen. Sure, this was the reaction she was expecting but why did it still sting like it was something new? What did she really want out of her last question? Did she _want_ him to admit that he was really a good guy that was just misunderstood in the Viking community?

 _Maybe. Maybe I did._

"Whatever gave you _that_ impression?" His continuous laughs made the amateur nurse shrink in size. "Did the Fishbone give you that idea? How _cute_."

Then _why_? Why did he save her like he had two days ago? He had the perfect opportunity to let her get hurt but instead… he _saved_ her. There had to be more to it!

"Why did you save me then?" She asked pointblank, lifting his sling to her chest-level. Her nails dug into the thick fabric and held tight for whatever was going to come next. She had to know. "To make yourself _look_ good? Because it _didn't_ work!" Her voice lifted in volume. "No one knows!"

"You call _that_ little incident 'saving you'?" His head turned back and more laughter flowed through his lips. It boomed in the room, making her cheeks glow a rather bright shade of red. "What am I, you're night and shining armor now? You're too hysterical, Chef! Don't be such a little girl."

 _He's covering for what happened. I know it._

It would have been easy to let her get hurt and yet here he was with a terrible burn to his right, his _dominate_ arm.

"You didn't answer my question." Her chin turned down, eyes glued to the ever changing look on his face. "Did you do it to make yourself look like a hero or something? Because everyone's under the impression you were just being a bully, like always."

Silence. The once look of pure intimidation and laughter left his features and what remained was a confused-looking Berserker chief. Was he surprised by what she was saying now? Like he hadn't heard the last part of her sentence moments ago. He'd heard her ask that question, right?

"Tell me _why_ and be _honest_."

More silence.

"I've been nothing but honest with you." Hea felt her arms drop into her lap along with the sling. "The least you can do it be honest with me."

"You've been 'nothing but honest' with _me_?" The laughter returned ten-fold. "What happened in the moments leading up to when I was hurt? When you went behind my back and gossiped with your little Hooligan friends? Told them that you were falling back on your plan to leave with me?"

"That was different!"

"Oh?"

"Yes…kinda." She sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry, it was just everything came out at a bad time. It wasn't like you were being completely honest either. You were going to overthrow Stoick under my nose! Can't we call things even?"

"No." He rolled his eyes. "No one is on even ground with me."

"Ugh!" The younger girl threw her arms into the air, leaving the white sling cloth on her lap. "You're so difficult! Can't we just agree from here on out we'll be honest with one another? I'll promise if you do."

"I don't have to make promises with anyone, let alone you."

"Fine!" She slammed her arms downward. "I'll at least promise myself this. I'll be honest with you from now on out. I promise. No more lies, talking behind your back or anything I wouldn't do to Hiccup."

"That's an awful lot of trust you're putting into me again, girl." Dagur looked to her with a single red brow cocked. "Are you sure it's worth it?" He managed to say with a wicked grin crossing his lips.

 _It's worth it. After what you did for me. Saving me from something that scared me so much, it's the least I can do for you._

Should she even tell him all she was feeling? All the words that were flowing through her head? That _was_ a part of being honest, it had to be. Besides, what was the worst he was going to say? He'd already said some of the meanest things she'd ever heard from someone, even in comparison to Tuff. (Not that she wanted to think of that skinny idiot at the moment anyway.)

 _Maybe a little kindness will go a long way. Besides, it isn't like it's a lie._

Hiccup had done that for her when she was so confused a year ago. She might not be trying to change Dagur for the better anymore but it was a part of Hiccup's philosophy that she _could_ use to improve herself a person. For _herself_.

 _No one else._

With all the courage she could muster, Hea the former Sheep Herder took in a deep breath of air and whilst looking him in the eyes she allowed her heart to flow, "You _are_ worth it. Until you prove me wrong, I can keep this promise. You saved me a lot of pain and heartache, I believe I owe you this much."

More, heart breaking, ear shattering silence.

What was he thinking? What _could_ he be thinking about at this point? Was he mad or shocked? Probably a bit of both, really. Had anyone ever told him like that before? Did his dad ever tell him that he had faith in his son? Hard to tell, seeing as Dagur kept everything about his past a secret. Maybe in the end he just needed someone that would listen, someone who had _faith_.

This was defiantly something to discuss with Hiccup. No doubt the original dragon trainer would have some inspirational things to say about this. Besides, the 'fishbone' (as Dagur liked to call him) knew the Berserker longer than she had, he might even have some insider information on the whacked out male.

"You're right about one thing." His deep voice caught the girl off guard. "You owe me."

Was having that as her reply a good thing or a really bad thing? He wasn't going to go the route of 'you owe me your life' way, was he? After all she had already to leave with him if he hadn't already forgotten. There wasn't much more she could do for him.

"Within reason," Hea took her eyes away from the man she considered her superior and carried on with attaching the sling to his arm. "I'll do whatever I can for you."

 _I'll be your friend._

Act End.


	21. Act Twenty One

La Coordination

Act Twenty-One

He knew she had work and that was about it. Whether she was doing well or had the time to work was something else entirely. Best to go out and check up on her, right? It was the least he could do anyway and besides they hadn't had a lot of alone time since all of this Dagur business went down. He missed it.

A lot.

Toting Toothless at his side, Hiccup stepped out of home with the quietest of steps. Being sure to close the front door with a delicate hand, he moved outside into the cold air. The Night Fury on his right bumped his snout against his elbow just as he took a step forward, was he anxious too?

There was no way Dagur was on watch with her, right? Not that he was afraid to be around the big brute it was just a matter of getting some time to himself and Hea. Oh and Toothless too. With a huge intake of frosted air he stepped onward into the darkness of the field. Once within spotting distance, Hiccup exhaled.

What was he supposed to say at this point? There was so much he _could_ say but just what was appropriate right now? Dare he even bring up the subject of Dagur? Would it make things worse or did she need to get that kind of stress off her chest? So many options such little time.

Would she even _want_ to speak with him after…?

" _I'll back off."_

Dear Thor that conversation felt like centuries ago.

 _Only one way to find out_.

His hand on the lock of the gate leading into the field caught her attention. She sat upright and like she had on so many other occasions, she turned to see him approaching. But unlike so many other nights, she didn't smile. Instead of even waiting for him to come close enough, she turned back around to face the grazing sheep.

Was she upset? She had every right to be upset, especially after what happened. Not just about Dagur appearing on the island but with him getting hurt the way he had. If it was confusing for him…how confusing was it for her? What was she thinking?

"You okay?"

He watched her back expand as he took in a single breath of air. In the same moment she exhaled, only tipping her chin upward. He took a seat at her side seconds later his eyes glued to hers.

"Just a little traumatized I guess."

"I get it. It must be hard." He mirrored her and looked upward at the stars. "But there's something I have to ask you now that I have the chance."

"Oh?" She flinched a tad, while her hands fell into her lap.

"Yeah."

He had to know, was this treaty really going to happen especially after what happened earlier in the day. There was a moment when Ruffnut said that she wasn't going through with the agreement but by the looks of things now, anything was possible.

She had to know that Dagur the Deranged had _saved_ her from an incoming fire ball, right? She wasn't overlooking that small fact, he _knew_ she wasn't. This had to be the reason why she was so confused and conflicted. But she had to know, at least hear it from him, that she didn't owe him, Dagur, anything.

He saved her and that was his choice, she wasn't indebted to him just because of that. Was Dagur manipulating her behind everyone's back? Probably but she had to the right to know that she didn't _need_ to pay him back. After all, that whole mess was his to begin with.

And even if she _did_ feel like she owed Dagur, he and all the other riders were going to be there to reassure her that she was free to make her own decisions.

"Are you still leaving with him?" He asked pointblank as Toothless bypassed the both of them and took a seat at his side. "You don't have to leave with him just because you feel like you owe him."

She flinched hard. "So you know?"

"If you're referring to the fact that he deliberately pushed you out of the way to save you, yes." Hiccup watched as her eyes left his once again. "I don't know how obvious it is to everyone else, but yeah, I could tell."

"He didn't have to do it, Hiccup."

"No but that doesn't mean he owns your life." The younger male felt his heartstrings pull in the worst way. So she _was_ feeling that way, was she? "He did start the whole fight, remember? It was the least he could do to make sure you weren't hurt."

"But you're missing the point," Her tone took on a certain kind of fire. "He didn't _have_ to. He could have let me get hurt but he _didn't_. That has to mean something."

"It doesn't mean _anything_." The rider sighed, his heart beating slower and slower by the moment, the aching of his chest never once lifting. "He's trying to trick you _again_. Don't let him, he always wants something for himself, he's just using you."

"I don't believe that."

"Hea…"

"And that's why I'm still going with him." She spoke with a sort of confidence he hadn't seen in a great while, or so it felt like a great while anyway. "Besides, if I had just kept my promise to him in the first place, he wouldn't have gotten so upset. So in the end, it was kinda my fault."

"How could you _think_ that?" Hiccup shook his head. "It's not true. Dagur has control over his own emotions, he could have stopped himself at any point but he didn't."

"I'm sure that there is a part of him that is willing to do bad things." Her tone took a sudden change from confident to small and meek. "And I'm _certain_ that he'll try to overtake Berk again but there is also something that I know."

What? What could she possibly know? And how could she be sure? This guy was a ticking time bomb. No one could be sure of what he was possible of! How could they trust someone so explosive and unpredictable? They just…couldn't take that chance.

"He's not all bad."

"Yes Hea, he _is._ " Hiccup brought his two hands to his chest and clenched his fingers. "You can't trust him just because _you_ want to. You haven't seen _half_ the bad things he's done in the past year. I know you want to believe that this guy is kind and gentle but he's _not_. He's dangerous."

"Then why did he save me?" She turned to him, her anger now getting the better of her.

"I don't know why." He shook his head, allowing his hands to come to a rest in his lap. "Maybe to make himself look good, maybe because you're a girl, I really don't know why, Hea. But just _trust_ me on this. He's not the guy you think he is."

"I know I can't _change_ him." Even though she faced him, again her eyes moved elsewhere. "But maybe I can _help_ him. I _want_ to."

His heart thumped one solid time then for a moment ceased to beat. She _wanted_ to help Dagur? Sure, he had an idea why but was there a point in asking now? Did he even _want_ to know? There were so many questions, unanswered feelings, and new options; was there enough time to talk about it all? Was _tonight_ the right time to talk about it? It was so hard to tell. It was obvious that she was dead set on helping Dagur out but…

Was this in the end _his_ fault because he asked for some space between them? Was she just getting back at him for asking her to tone down the affection? He wasn't even sure he could muster the strength to ask her at this point. He was tired in so many different ways.

"He needs a friend."

A friend? It couldn't possibly be that easy. Besides, friends and friendship was something that was _earned_ not just handed out like ginger candy. It was a relationship that was built with two people who _wanted_ it. How could she force a friendship on someone who probably didn't even know what it was?

Had Dagur ever had friends in the past? It wasn't like he could really know for sure either way.

"He's tired of being alone."

"How can you know that?" Hiccup felt his features tighten while his palms began to sweat.

"Because no one wants to be alone forever." She turned her chin forward once more and returned to stargazing. "I think he's tired of being alone and maybe that's why he's so mean. He's not used to having friends."

"I can agree with that. But…"

Was Hea the right one for him? The right type of friend that he needed? Why couldn't it be someone else? It didn't and shouldn't have to be her.

"I think we'll be okay." A small smile spread over her cheeks. "Try not to worry."

How could he _not_ worry? All he could do was worry. This wasn't something that she was willing to budge on, he could tell that much, just from the way she was speaking. Was there a point in arguing now? She had made up her mind, even if it meant that it separated them. Potentially forever. And she was _alright_ with that?

He couldn't change her mind this time. And it hurt. This time was so different than the time before when he helped her see the good in dragons. She wasn't afraid or even just being stubborn. This was something that she honestly _believed in_. And how could he change that? What gave him the right to think that he was in any position to change her mind? He didn't. In the end, he had no right, power or chance of changing what she believed.

On a night so cold and quiet, would this be one of the last times they had a late night shit talk? How many more meetings like this did they have left?

 _Not many._

XoXoX

A number of days earlier he would have never expected this to happen, even two days before when he was first burnt.

Having her to himself, this had to be a dream! If he could he'd pinch his forearm just to be sure that this wasn't some sort of slumbering fantasy but seeing as his hands were a bit _scorched_ at this very moment, he couldn't really preform. But who the heck cared anyway! He was getting all of her attention and tender lovin' care! That's all that really mattered.

With one of her oh-so many gentle touches, Rye placed her fingertips along his upper right arm and held him still. While holding him with her left, she moved her right hand to his bandaged palm and with the softest of tugs, pulled the sticky wrap from his stinging hand.

"Does it hurt?" She asked, her eyes drawn to her work space rather than his eyes.

So what it stung? Did _she_ need to know that? Nope! He had to put on a strong front, for _her_ sake. Besides, if it did get out that he was complaining the others wouldn't let him live it down.

"Nah," He shook his head hard enough for her to tighten her grip on his forearm.

The moment her digits contracted around his thick muscles, he felt his heart hitch. Was she actually hitting on him? Or just holding his arm steady? Flirting, for sure. He could totally tell by the way she touched him! There wasn't any denying it, him with his rustic charm and good looks, no _wonder_ she fell for him so hard!

"Does it itch any?"

Instead of answering her right away, he watched with a wide set of eyes as Rye pulled away the last layer of bandage, revealing his bright red, peeling skin. Sure, it hadn't blistered any but it still ached! Why didn't he get any special tea like Dagur had? He was hurt, wasn't he?!

"Kinda." He answered, feeling his upper lip twitch as his dream girl used a small pair of tweezers to pull away the white flaking skin.

"You haven't been itching right?" For the first time since she entered the home that day, the older female glanced up at him from beneath a dark set of beautiful eyelashes and glass. "If you tear open the skin now, it could cause an infection. So if you have, stop."

"Okay but it's still gonna itch," Snotlout pouted, how did she know that he'd been rubbing his bandaged hand against anything rough enough to give him relief? "What am I supposed to do about it? How do I make it stop?"

"You're just gonna have to tough it out." A smile that made his heart once again slam away appeared on her face.

Oh she was too adorable! That look, it had to be the look of utter and complete love! Did this mean that his years of flirting and compliments had finally started to pay off?! Did she actually take his more than strong hints and get it?! With _that_ kind of smile, it had to be true.

"I know you can do it." She added.

 _Oh!_

Now he _knew_ he had to be dreaming. In what world did Rye give one person, other than her best friend Gobber, so much attention? This was it! He was going to get his first kiss then his first girlfriend! This had to be the beginning of his new life as her as his woman. Something he'd been dreaming of since… _forever_.

While his face flooded with the blood, Rye went back to finishing up her work. Turning her big brown eyes away from him and back to his terrible 'life or death' burn, the smile on her bright face faded away. Huh?

"I wanted to thank you," She began, brows weighing heavy over her features. And what looked like a slight, small grimace formed where once that perfect smile once sat.

"From defending you against danger?" He lifted his head high and allowed his eyes to come to a close. "No problem, babe. It's my job to defend the fairest of maidens from the evil of this world!"

The frustrated look on her eased into a small smirk that brought even more blood to his cheeks. "Not for just that."

"Oh?" There was more?

Rye took a quiet moment to smear a medium-sized amount of honey on his open palm. While he waited for any kind of reply, her smirk died away once again, leaving her to look more sad than anything. What was wrong? Had he said something wrong? After all of that mental congratulations he'd just given himself about how well he'd done flirting with her and now this? This girl was more confusing than ever! What did she want?

"You've been really sweet to me for a while now and I wanted you to know that it means a lot."

Where was _this_ coming from? He was always the nice guy! So of _course_ she should know, even to the point where she didn't need to thank him for it. After all he _was_ the smartest, kindest, best looking man on the whole island! A hero didn't need thanks like that in public or in words. It was just his awesome nature.

"You've gotten me really used to Hookfang. I don't feel so nervous around him anymore, you know?" She said pulling her spoon away from his hand and laying it aside. "It took a lot for me to get on a Nightmare after what happened and all. But you've taught me a lot."

Did she mean all that constant nagging and begging to get her to ride with him? Is that was she was talking about? And all this time he thought he wasn't getting anywhere, especially when she said 'no' to his offers. Did that mean _something_? Or _anything_ for that matter?

Again with the upmost care, she brought a new bandage to his wounded hand and proceeded to wrap it around his palm. "So thank you."

"Uh, you're welcome…I guess."

"Even that night when I stayed over at your place, I learned something."

"You mean when we both got into that huge argument that lasted half the night?" He said without any delay.

After the second loop around his wrist, she came to a stop and hooked together the gauze in place. "Sure."

What in the world could that be? Was it right of him to just ask? Then again it could make him look like a doofus if he didn't know exactly what she was talking about. The last thing he needed, after this string of good luck, was to look like an idiot in front of her. Best to stay quiet and wait for her next move…right?

Just as predicted she carried on, "I learned that I can trust you. More than I first thought." Rye leaned backward in her seat at the kitchen table before looking at him with a sense of softness. "And I'm not saying that I didn't trust you before. What I'm saying is…"

Her eyes darted away from his.

What happened? Why did she stop? And what was with that look of delicate sadness? It was almost as if she were sad and happy all at the same time. Did that even make any sense? How could a girl be happy and sad at the same time?! Maybe it was one of those girlish things that made women so moody all the time. Then again there had to be something more to this.

She then reached out to the remaining hand that needed re-bandaging. With a lighter touch than she had the first time around, she wrapped her fingertips around his wrist and drew him in.

"That I can trust you with my heart."

Wha?

"I know it sounds stupid," She her brows dipped heavily over her eyes while a small smile worked its way over her reddening cheeks. "But I believe it. It's okay…it's _okay_."

What's…okay? What was she talking about and why was his heart ticking away so quickly in his chest cavity? He needed to know what was happening! He needed to know the reason why his heart stung more than his palms and why his face felt like he had some kind of tropical fever. This wasn't normal, it couldn't be! What was she _doing_ to him?

And just by speaking to him.

"It isn't a bad thing to care about someone, even after you've been hurt. Even though it _still_ hurts."

His lips grew dry. How long had his jaw been open? For that matter, how long had his eyelids been pried wide open? Even at this point his eyeballs were starting to go dry! And why couldn't he move an inch?!

"I want to tell you something," For the first time in moments, her dark cocoa-colored eyes moved back to him, even though she still looked hurt. "But I can't have you telling anyone else, including Hea. Okay?"

"You sure?" He managed to speak, although he nearly choked on the dryness of his tongue.

"Yes, I want to."

"O…okay. I won't tell anyone. Promise." Snotlout lifted his fixed up hand but then paused. "Um, I would give you a pinky promise but my hand is kinda…"

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I trust you." The look of unhappiness broke from her features, revealing the smile he adored. "There was a person I cared a lot about. A lot. And I told him but,"

But?

"He didn't feel exactly the same way so I was kinda rejected." Why she still spoke with a smile was beyond him but instead of saying anything, he remained silent.

Thor knew if he was rejected, he be in pieces then he'd never admit it to _anyone_ and lie about ever confessing in the first place! So why was she telling him all of this? Was he _supposed_ to know who she told and rejected her? It wasn't like he had the slightest clue! Then again maybe it was someone he least expected…like…?

"Who was it?" He asked, no sense in beating around the bush right?

"How did I know that would be your next question?" Her lips stood out more than they had seconds before as she spoke with a smirk. "That's not important but what is, is that you know that _you're_ the reason, the _only_ reason why I feel better about it."

" _Me_?!" He used his freshly bandaged hand to slam his own chest. "Ouch!"

"Of course." She giggled that oh-so sweet giggle.

"But how did I do that? The other night all we did was fight! I don't get it." He removed his stinging hand from his throbbing chest.

The softness of her eyes left his face and returned to the work that she'd originally come over for. She peeled off the gauze on his remaining hand and proceeded to repeat the same process she had done with his opposite hand. Taking her time and gentle touch, she removed the dead skin from his burnt palm and added more globs of honey to the sore area.

"You're more special than you realize." Rye smeared the breakfast condiment on his hand. "The real treat that night wasn't the dinner you set up, it was being with you."

For whatever strange reason his chest felt like it tightened. Almost like his heart grew ten times its size, he felt it almost a struggle to breathe. The urge to grip his hands tempted him but the sting of his burn stopped him. Every time his heart beat it seemed like his blood ran hotter and he sweated _even_ more than he was already! He wasn't like…having a heart attack or something right?!

Was he _DYING_?!

"Thank you for that."

"Uhh…"

The feeling of a new piece of gauze wrapping around his hand eased his thumping heart. She handled him the same way she handled Phobos back when she was a baby, one year ago. Why? Since when did she care so much? Then again she was like that with everyone! Right?

Then again she refused to ride with anyone else.

She couldn't feel the same way, could she?! Since when?!

He hyperventilated.

"Is this too tight?" She asked, looping the gauze around a third time.

He gasped and held his breath as if that'd actually help somehow. He then shook his head back and forth instead of answering with his voice. Knowing himself, he'd probably ruin this moment by saying something really random. He couldn't speak just yet.

"Good." Rye tucked and tied the wrap just right, right after flipping his wrist over and giving him a single pat on the back of the hand. "Feel better?"

"…I guess." Couldn't someone crack open a window in this room or something?! How'd it get so hot so fast?!

"We'll change it out again the day after tomorrow, okay?" She continued to speak but he was on the brink of going deaf! What kind of weird feeling was this anyway? "Like I said before, try not to scratch and you'll be fit as a fiddle in no time."

Really? Then why did he feel like his heart was about to break out of his _face_. And that didn't even make any sense!

"Thanks for listening." Her fingers curled around the back of his palm and for a moment she pulled on his arm. "Among many other things that is."

"S-sure." A droplet of sweat moved past his sideburns.

Without any other words, she moved up from her seat. Hovering just over her chair she leaned further toward him until her chin breezed past his shoulder. The wind from her body moving past his sent chills up his spine and forced all of the hairs on his arms to stand up straight. And just as she came close to his cheek, she lifted her chin. Stopping only when her bust came to eye level with him, she moved even further until a small tap to his forehead forced his entire body to freeze.

With her lips pressed against his head, his jaw fell open almost to the point where he was sure it would hit the ground. His hands hung in the air and his heart ceased to beat. Since when does a heart speed off like crazy one moment then _stop_ the next? Was he actually having a heart attack?!

The small peck ended in silence and she pulled away with just as much care as she'd given him when she was bandaging his hand. She was so… _gentle_ and _soft_. Were all girls like this or just her? Then again when had he ever had any connection with a girl like this?

Man, if he had known that fighting with her would make this much of a difference in their relationship, he would have done it _so_ much earlier! Who knew?

And just who was this mystery guy that rejected her before? He also had him to thank for this situation! It was pretty obvious that she wasn't going to tell him at this point, might as well obverse for a while and made a very well educated guess. After all, he didn't need that guy to make a comeback and steal his girl's heart!

"Are you okay?" The sound of her voice made him flinch, although the haziness of the moment refused to die away. "Snot?"

"Uh…I think." He blinked his eyelids with force once or twice. "But I think I should lay down now."

"Alright," Rye released her small touch on his hand. "Lay down, I'll tell your dad to give you some space."

"Thanks."

"For you? No problem."

He watched as the four-eyed nurse stood upright, turn around and take a number of steps away from him and waltzing over to his bedroom door. Her hand fell on the doorknob and just as she began to twist it, she paused and glanced over her shoulder. Rye flashed him one last smile that made his dead heart race back to life. With her free hand she waved a single time before popping open the door and stepping out.

Did what just happened…really happen?

Act End.


	22. Act Twenty Two

Author's Note: Hey guys, how are you all doing? How's your day been? Are you taking care of yourselves? I hope so. Good feelings to you all.

Anyway, I wanted to welcome all the new readers! Hello! For some odd reason, I believe it has to do with the website, I haven't been receiving my updates on new readers and favs. So I do apologize if I haven't sent you a thank you note. But I do want to welcome you all now. I hope you're enjoying this fic. And if you have any questions or just wanna chat, hit me up.

This chapter is on the shorter side but I (hopefully) will be posting again soon. Family issues at home have had me on and off the computer lately. But that's not what you're all here for. Please, enjoy this chapter. (hugs and kisses.)

* * *

La Coordination

Act Twenty-Two

"Some sunlight will do you some good."

Yeah _right_. Since when does the sun do _anyone_ any good? It was just a huge, bright ball in the sky! To hell with getting out in the sun and it doing him any good! Why in Odin's name he was going along with her he had no idea but if it stopped her insistent nagging and rambling, he'd do it. At least he'd give his muscles a small work out in the process; all he needed was to grow _soft_ after his five days of rest.

He stepped beside Chef, making sure to put his best pouty face forward. He might be along for the ride to the port but that didn't mean he was going to be happy about it. In fact, he might just cause extra trouble for her just in spite of the fact that she was dragging him around.

Under her right arm she held a rather large woven basket, no doubt for the fruits, vegetables and meats that the trader had available for the pathetic citizens of Berk. Hanging over her left shoulder was a sack of vegetables native to Berk, stupid crap that she would trade for the bounty that wasn't readily available to this dump of an isle. Surely Mouse had something to do with the growing and harvesting of said veggies. Not that'd he'd seen her in the last few days. Or _anyone_ for that matter.

"I hope Johann has something worthwhile this time around," Hea said with a small sigh, "I'm going to need more honey for your burn. He'd better have the good stuff."

Yada, yada, yada! Is that all this girl did was _talk_? One would think her throat and voice would wear out at some point. Maybe she just liked to hear herself talk; he wouldn't put it past her she was pretty strange.

"And he'd _better_ like this carrots and potatoes. Otherwise I'm screwed."

For the sake of everyone on this blasted island, he was _going to_ take Chef and Mouse's stupid vegetables; otherwise there'd be hell to pay. As much as he _hated_ to admit it, he needed that damn honey. Even if that was the only thing that came out of this waste of energy, at least his wound would continue to heal. And if this _Johann_ didn't take her food, there were 'ways' of making the trader come around to see the 'light'. Sure, he was short one good punching fist but he could still deliver a solid left hook if needed.

"Those damn Changewings are making it way too difficult to get honey here on Berk," Chef continued to blab. "I'd rather trade our own food than risk Hiccup on those stupid animals."

The urge to tell this girl to shut up tickled his lungs so why hadn't he said anything yet? The fact that she tried to make small talk to keep him company was driving him mad! It wasn't like he _needed_ conversation to keep his brilliant mind busy. It was perfectly capable of keeping his own attention. He didn't need _her_ to be his 'friend' or 'pal'.

 _Tell her to shut up already!_

Why did his vocal cords freeze over like this? At this point? Ugh. Who cared, if she wanted to talk her stupid face off then he should let her. Eventually she'd get enough of him staying silent and quit talking.

Right?

"If we're lucky, he'll have some good meat too. I'm so tired of eating fish. Yick."

For the love of everything _holy_! She was still talking! Was this what she was like with those idiot Hooligans? Thinking of which, where were those fools? Shouldn't they be trailing behind him; stalking him and invading his personal space? This was after all the first time he'd been in direct sunlight for about five days; he assumed they'd be around here…somewhere.

Then again it wasn't like Hiccup or any of his followers had come to visit him since he was burned. And it wasn't like he expected them to pop in and bid him a friendly 'hello'. After what happened, after _everything_ in the past few years that had happened. It wasn't like he was the best neighbor in the world.

But it was a bit odd that _no one_ had come over. Even to see Chef. Sure, she'd had a single night out to watch the sheep but it wasn't like it was a social call. There was a possibility that they were all watching over him, planning some kind of intervention that would send him home in more stiches and bandages. Would they do something like that? Were they _smart enough_ to do something so ingenuous? This wasn't _himself_ he was thinking about here. It was Fishbone.

Fishbone didn't have the heart to plan such an attack. _Did he?_ And say he was planning something devious, did that mean Chef had any hand in it?

Dagur the Deranged glanced in the female's direction, only to see her walking with a neutral look on her mug. Slower than usual due to the luggage she was toting around, she only hobbled once or twice while walking. Was this trip some kind of plan to get him out in the open? After all, in his present condition he was no match for Hiccup and his dragon army. He was stranded without his armada _and_ with an active wound. Not good at all.

Then again the girl did mention a promise about being honest. Did that _mean_ anything or was it just a clever ploy to keep him unsuspecting of any impending doom? Things could go either way.

" _You_ are _worth it. Until you prove me wrong, I can keep this promise. You saved me a lot of pain and heartache, I believe I owe you this much."_

Kind words but he'd heard it all before.

" _I don't have to justify myself to you or anyone. I'm doing this."_

She'd made promises before only to have them backfire in his face. Not only did she _lie_ to him but she made a scene about the whole deal in front of Hiccup and his goons. It was embarrassing, disrespectful and downright _cruel_.

" _Tell 'em that you don't want to do this anymore! Told 'em what you told me and Rye! You're backing outta this!"_

It made him look like a complete idiot. And no one got away with making him look like a fool. _No one_.

"Are you alright?"

The sound of her voice made him internally flinch. Fresh from his memories, he turned away from her once again and kept his attention on whatever was in front of him. Here she went on once again, but what to say in reply?

"No."

"What's wrong?" From out of the corner of his eye he watched as she looked at him and even took a step closer to his side. "Does your arm hurt?" She asked; chin nudging in the direction of his sling.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"Nothing, leave me alone." He felt his upper lip twitch.

"Wow, what a grump." She continued to carry on as if he cared. "I just wanted to make you were okay."

"I'm not." He huffed a round of hot air via his nostrils. "You already have me out here doing _your_ errands and now you want me to engage in chit-chat with someone the likes of _you_? Forget it."

"I didn't force you to come," Hea replied, taking a moment to move back away from him. "In fact I'm pretty sure I couldn't _force_ you to do anything. You came on your own. This is _your_ honey we're getting remember?"

"If it wasn't for you, in the first place, I wouldn't _have_ this burn. _Remember_?" He made a clear point of shooting a direct glare at her while he mocked the sheep herder.

All the unattractive features of her being mad suddenly vanished from her face. Her thick eyebrows arched to the top of her forehead and turned inward just as her lips parted in the slightest. Her eyes narrowed then dilated, almost as if she were _hurt_ by what he was saying.

After a silent moment, she turned her chin away from him and continued to look onward, "Fine. Go home if you want then."

"I recall you telling me a second ago that you couldn't force me to do anything." He replied. "And that's true. I'll do as I please." That's all he needed was to be on his way home _alone_ and get ambushed by a pack of rouge dragon riders.

"…Yeah, whatever."

What was with that tone? Why had her voice taken such depth and at the same time strained as if the words leaving her lips (again) _hurt_ to say. He'd heard something like this before when she was crying like an infant. Did this mean she was on the verge of crying again? Over something so simple? He could somewhat, _somewhat_ see why she cried when she confessed her fear and past the last time but why now? What was the big deal? It wasn't like what he said _hurt her feelings_.

" _You are by far the meanest, nastiest person I've ever known. You're rude, cruel, and selfish and for the life of me, I'm not sure why I had so much faith in you."_

What he just said…it wasn't _mean_ was it? After all how could it be mean or nasty when it was the truth?! It _was_ her fault he was hurt! This whole situation was because she went behind his back! She deserved to hear the truth because that's what it was, the _truth_. In the end, isn't that what the stupid girl wanted, honesty?

Why did things always turn out like this? He opened his yap and something, usually the truth, came out as an insult. How could the world be so sensitive? The problem wasn't him by any means, it wasn't his fault the world was so full of itself that it couldn't handle the truth. Why should he have to step around on eggshells being playing the nice guy just so someone wouldn't get their _feelings_ hurt?

She was by far making him think too much.

"Stupid girl."

She remained silent and even refused to look in his direction. She instead ducked her head between her shoulders and carried onward. Seeing the odd position she reset herself in, Dagur turned to face the girl completely only to find her with a look about her he'd never seen on _her_ features before.

Ah but he _had_ seen that look before. Not on a female but on every male role model he'd ever had. Role model, superior, elder or just average Joe. The look, _that_ look of utter disappointment. It was the same. The same heavy brows, squinted eyes, lifted cheekbones, red face and profound frown that etched deep into his subconscious.

It was the same look his father had given him oh-so many times.

How many times had he, as a child, said he was sorry after seeing this face? Sure most of the sorries he gave his father after seeing this expression was half-assed and anything but sincere; there _were_ times when he was legitimately remorseful for whatever hell he'd caused.

When did the three year old 'I'm sorries' turn from honest to a chore? The tearful apologies when he was a child quickly evolved into a low, grunt of a sigh that meant he was more annoyed than actually sorry. Maybe during his preteen years? When things became more evident that his father had better things to do, like running the village, than paying him any mind.

" _I'm sorry, okay?!"_

He flinched. Why did _she_ have to give him that look? The same damn look?

" _Dagur, you_ know _better."_

There were never any bruises on his skin to show how hurt he was when his father shot him a look of disappointment. The sting of the frown and slow shake of the head stabbed him through the heart on multiple accounts but never once did it make his skin bleed or leave any kind of mark. It didn't _have_ to.

But then again, negative attention was far better than no attention at all. Acting out, being a brat, shouting, throwing tantrums became a way of getting the attention he was never given by acting _right_. If his father was going to run the village as his first priority than he was going to make a big enough mess to become the new number one.

Negativity then became more of a fall back than anything. It sure as hell beat than acting like a goody-two-shoes. Like _Hiccup._ Pathetic, small, defenseless and useless. No, he'd never become that because he was better than that. He wasn't going to sit around and be incompetent; he was going to become something. Something that would never disappoint anyone.

His father wasn't an angry man by any means, in fact he would much rather fight his battles with nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives. Talking was his forte and he did it _well_. Was that the coward's way out? Of course! But he had charisma that Dagur couldn't deny. It kept the peace for a short period but at what cost? The Berserkers had become a sham, a joke, a small tribe with nothing to show for their true talents. That's not what _he_ wanted. No, they, he deserved much more than just the small dump of an island that his father ruled.

They were _owed_ everything but promised nothing.

And that had to change. Eventually.

All that thought and done, it didn't change the fact that she had to have that stupid look on her face. If she weren't a girl he wouldn't hesitate to _shake_ the look off her but because she did have ovaries, he resisted.

Maybe that's why in the end, he _had_ pushed her out of the way of that flame. Was it because she was a girl? Because he knew what it was like to have a sister to protect? Sure he was the older of the two children bore to Oswald the Agreeable so of course that meant he couldn't just sit back and let other kids push his sister around. Women, although feeble, weak, fragile and helpless deserved to be treated as such, women. To a certain degree anyway.

But no one had to know that he in fact went out of his way to move the stupid shrew out of the way.

" _Why did you save me then?"_

She was on to him, at one point. Although he was quick to shut her ideals down before she got any 'ideas' of telling the others what really happened. If Hiccup and his band of idiots found out that he went out of his way to protect a girl, _that_ girl in particular, then he was in for a world of teasing, badgering and compliments. All of which he did not need or want.

Even though his plan (newest plan) up to this point had been successful, the unexpected look of disappointment on her face made him _feel_. Ugh, when was the last time he felt something other than anger or happiness? He didn't need to feel sad or melancholy about his father now of all times. Especially with someone like _her_.

" _I told Rye that I wanted to be the one to change you for the better but I know now I can't. I can't because I don't_ have _to. You aren't a bad person, I know you aren't. I've_ seen _it for myself. Deep down you're a good person, right?"_

Wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.

So then _why_ did he shove her out of the way? Because in the end, in the cold and bitter end…she was the only one at this point who had shown him any type of _kindness._

 _Kindness_. For a moment he shut his eyes tight.

" _How did you sleep?"_

When was the last time anyone asked him how well he slept?

" _You've never had one? You poor thing."_

Or made sure that he had something warm to eat in the morning? Sure, she had to given that was what he hired her for but she presented him with food that was _worthwhile._ She'd said it herself, she had put her blood, sweat and tears into those disgusting 'flapjacks' and even though he didn't care for them, the very fact that she had used some sort of effort to cook wasn't something he was expecting.

She had made him something…from the _heart_.

He was sure, by the looks of her of course, that she'd lack on the cooking skills and might even try tricking him by cooking terrible food in order to get out of their deal. But she _hadn't_.

What did that _mean_? Did that mean, could that mean that she actually cared about him?

No, it couldn't be true. Not after what she had done back then, when she made a fool out of him in front of _everyone_. When she shunned him.

Why was this all so confusing and in what world was Dagur the Deranged confused about anything?! He was superior in every way, he should be able to navigate is way around a shrew or a woman. But if _that_ particular thought was true, then why did her kindness (in the beginning anyway) have such an effect on him?

" _The rest of the food's getting cold."_

His heart thumped.

"What's _wrong_ Boss-man? You got a headache or something?" The sound of the girl's voice made his eyes snap back open. "I really wish you'd tell me what's bothering you, I can't help if you don't talk."

 _Again with the consideration._

He inhaled a sharp breath via his nostrils. "I'm fine."

He just needed silence, more silence than anyone could ever give him.

Act End.


	23. Act Twenty Three

Hey guys! (nervously sweats) Now I know it's been like a year since I last updated…more like 18 months but I have been working! I just had a huge chunk of story I hadn't finished and I'm making up for the 'in-between' now. The end of this fic is nearly done too!

I've also have not been very good at keeping up with the series of Dragons on Netflix. I'm terrible. So, this story is going to take a different route plot-wise. But that's the point of fan fictions, am I right? I know the gist of what's going on (thank you wiki!) but I haven't watched.

Hopefully I can get the rest of this story finished then I can move on the to next part. I really, REALLY hope that I can get this over with before the HTTYD 3 comes out but I make no promises.

So, if you want to shoot the breeze with me, chat or whatever; send me a line! Love you guys.

Much love.

* * *

La Coordination

Act Twenty-Three

Brisk mornings used to mean so much more than just goosebumps and silent shivers. Instead of having another warm body to wake up against, the only thing she could find beside her was her drool-covered down quilt. Ugh, not to mention her back was pretty much ruined for the rest of her life. Having to sleep on a piece of used furniture for over a week now was really starting to leave lasting results.

 _Man, this couch was used when we got it; just imagine how old it is now._

Hea allowed her eyelids to flutter open, even though she'd been awake for at least two minutes now. Although just lying with her back flush with the terribly recycled piece of cloth and springs was _almost_ refreshing after having to deal with the last number of days. Tending to a wounded Dagur, who was on the very verge of not speaking to her, had to be one of thee hardest things she'd ever done. Even taking care of Bug when she was a pup was easier than this. And that included potty training the infant dog.

She exhaled and half expected her breath to appear as a light fluffy cloud of air; the room was on the brink of freezing! What happened to the fire in the fireplace? Ugh and for that matter, what the hell time was it?

Sitting upright (but not without several complaints from her aching bones and joints) the newly employed chef lifted her hand to her forehead and pushed back the hairs that had gone crazy during the night. Her eyes made their way to the smoldering wood in the fire pit. Great.

That stupid Terrible Terror either forgot or refused to come and relight their fireplace, leaving the house colder than the snow queen herself. At this point she was sure she was going to catch her death! That's all she needed, was to catch some sort of cold while trying to take care of Dagur. _That'd_ go over really well.

Hea moved the only quilt she was given for the icy night off of her legs and moved off of the couch. Why, oh why did she have to spoil that overgrown brat with all of the blankets and extra quilts in the house? Ugh if she _did_ happen to catch the flu, it was gonna be his fault!

Speaking (or thinking rather) of the big jerk, it'd probably be in her best interest if she went into her ex-bedroom and tell him that she was going off the fetch Phobos to relight the fireplace so she could start breakfast…or lunch depending on what time of the day it was.

Still in her fluffy sleep attire she crossed the living room until she found herself in the door-less doorway of her 'used to be' bedroom. She leaned against the bitter cold wall and peeked in until a sleeping Dagur made her heart thump.

Asleep among the many quilts and blankets she'd thrown his way, he slept without any kind of shirt or top that she could see. With his bare chest exposed and him sleeping on his back, the younger female could almost feel her chest explode.

Trying her hardest shake off any kind of thought about _anything_ , Hea gave a loud gulp and cleared her throat. "Dagur?"

Was it best to wake the sleeping beast? After all, before this point he'd always woken himself up, she never had to test the waters before. Ah well, if he happened to wake up while in the brief moments she _was_ gone, he would probably assume she'd gone missing in action and go nuts.

No need to risk that.

She cleared her throat for a second time, this time around a tad louder than before. "Dagur."

A groan left his lips and with one fell swoop he moved his massive arm, blanket clenched between his fingers, over his head. Hiding himself away from her sight, it appeared as though he rolled away from her voice.

Great, just like a kid. One big dangerous kid. He wasn't going to go crazy if she actually woke him out of his deep slumber, would he? Then again for the past few days, when it was just him and her, he seemed subdued. Maybe it was the burn getting to him or perhaps something else?

"Dagur!" She piped up, releasing her grip on the wall.

" _What_?!"

 _There we go; at least we're getting_ somewhere. "I have to run next door really quick, alright? The fire's out and I gotta get Phobos to get it started again."

No response.

Oh geez, he didn't fall back to sleep, did he?

"Dagur?"

His body sunk deeper into the two mattresses that he had combined from her and Rye's twin-sized beds and hid away beneath the heavy quilts. "Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up, it's freezing in here."

Her eyes narrowed. _He_ thought it was freezing?! What about her?! Sitting out in the living room, a much bigger space, in the bitter cold with only a single kid's quilt to keep herself warm! The urge to stand and argue with him teased both her lungs and lips but instead she resisted. Fighting, although mildly entertaining, wouldn't get her warmer any faster.

 _Things were just so much different when I had someone to wake up next to._

"Fine," She hissed just under her breath and walked away from the bedroom doorway.

Hea traveled through the living room area once again but not without first grabbing hold to the only thing that kept her comfortable during the night. She wrapped the small quilt she'd had since childhood around her shoulders before stepping out of her small shack of a home.

Scooting across the frosty lawn as fast as she could without looking like a madwoman, Hea's feet found their way to Snotlout's front door without any kind of issues. Once within reach, she moved one arm up and out of the warm sanctuary of her blanket and knocked three times on the giant wooden door. Bare feet growing numb from the frozen floor, she found herself doing some sort of odd jig at the front doorstep. A stupid effort to lessen the chance of frostbite in her toes.

 _Dear Thor you're overdramatic, even in your thoughts._

It seemed like ages passed before the door creaked its way open. Standing in his sleepwear and looking rather groggy, Spitelout poked his nose out of the cracked frame. Narrowed eyes looked upon her almost as if he didn't recognize her at first glance but when her image came into clear view, he opened up the wooden surface further and spoke.

"Hea? What in the…? What are you doing here at this hour?"

Geez, what time _was_ it? Hard telling given she wasn't working this day in particular. "Our fire pit when out sometime during the night and I need Phobos to relight it."

Looking at her like she was some sort of nuisance he gave a heavy sigh and moved his large body to one side, granting her access into his home. "Snot and Rye are still asleep and I'd like to keep it that way."

 _Blah, blah, blah._ The taste of few particular words on her tongue made her stomach bubble, but instead of answering him _at all_ she refused to utter a sound. Even as she bypassed him through the house he called his own, she remained silent. She wasn't actually learning something from being around Dagur was she?! To be… _mature_?

 _Oh, Gods above._

With the blood flowing back to her aching feet, she made her way down into the basement area of the building. Rye had mentioned in passing that she and Snot had been residing in that area because it was large enough for two. Although it seemed to be a clever cover-up for Snot just to appear to have a place (or bachelor's pad as he liked to call it) of his own. Either way she hopped down the stairs until she found herself standing still at the foot of a pile of quilts and blankets.

While her mind shouted a dozen or so different expressions and curse words, her lips remained clamped shut. Thoughts exploding and heart nearly sinking down into her lower intestine, she was sure her eyes would very soon pop out of her skull at the display before her. Was she seeing what she thought she was seeing? Snotlout, that big dummy and her sister, Rye sleeping in a makeshift bed together on the floor?! Like a couple, a romantic couple?!

 _What in Loki's name is going on here?!_

When did this begin happening?! It wasn't like Rye to share her intimate, personal space with _anyone_ let along Snot-frikkin'-lout! Sure, she had been growing accustom to his p.d.a. lately but that didn't mean that she accepted it and/or _liked_ by any means! And _suuuure_ , there were times when she liked to tease her big sister about the boy's crush but that's all could possibly be a _joke_.

Oh no.

This didn't mean that all this time while she had been preoccupied by either Hiccup or Dagur that her sister and Snot had been growing…dare she think it? _Closer_?

No. No way, they were just sharing a bed because it was freezing both inside and out. This had nothing to do with the fact that they may like one another more than friends. After all, Rye had Gobber to think about! Snot wasn't Rye's type at all anyway, she didn't need a little _boy_ , she needed a man! Like…Gobber maybe? Ugh!

Even with her stomach churning the fact that there was little to no heat source in the house. She still needed Phobos to light that stupid fire. Might as well get that idiot dragon and get the process done before she was a witness to anything else that may disturb her.

Using the one hand that wasn't attached to her quilt, Hea moved her right palm to the side of her mouth. "Pho? Are you there?"

Nothing but more snoring and light nose whistles filled the chilly air.

 _Gah, not this again_.

" _Phobos,_ wake up."

A sudden, sharp jerk from the massive pile of blankets erupted from between the couple that had been sleeping _face-to-face_ , almost as if they had been talking to one another just before falling into a deep slumber. _Ew_.

"Come here, Pho. I need you to light the fireplace." She whispered.

The tiny purple-colored Terror snaked her way out from beneath the quilts and almost in a happy fashion crawled her way across the poorly made floor bed. It chirped and cooed just before arriving at Hea's feet and looked up at her almost with a smile. _Double ew._

"Come on."

The stupid animal even took the liberty of scampering and tearing its way up her pant leg. The sheep herder flinched and bit her lower lip and waited out the pain as the critter made its resting ground at her shoulder. She spun, in silence even though she'd been deeply offended, and made it to the stairwell.

Seeing no one in the main portion of the house and assuming that Spite had gone back to bed, Hea bypassed the huge fire pit at the far-left part of the home. Sleeping at the foot of that pit was the oversized Nightmare that never failed to give her a physical shiver. Damn, those dragons, Monstrous Nightmares in particular, gave her the creeps.

How could Rye be okay with being so close to Hookfang anyway? One would assume because of her background history with those types, she'd be scared out of her mind. How could she sleep in the same house let alone _ride_ one? Shit, just the thought riding Barf and Belch again made her tremble in her metaphorical boots.

Rye couldn't be making efforts to get closer to Hook just for Snot's sake, could she? Or there was the even worse thought that Rye actually _liked_ the dragon. Liking both rider _and_ dragon?! Not a good sign!

Rye did _not_ need a guy like Snotlout in her life. For one, he wasn't the brightest candle in the bunch by far not to mention the Gods' only knew what they had in common! They would make the worst couple and that was guessing they'd even make it that far. And if by some strange miracle they _happened_ to become an item, it would never last more than a month.

But she was getting ahead of herself; again, there was no way that _Snot_ and _Rye_ of all people could learn to co-exist let alone love each other.

It wasn't anything to be too concerned about. 'Sides she had bigger fish to fry herself. Rye and Snot were friends and that was the end of the story.

XoXoX

It'd felt like ages since they had all hung out as a group. Was he distancing himself from both Hea and Dagur _on purpose_? Of course, but that wasn't something he was going to admit out loud. After having a couple of days to think about it all, it was about time he faced his fears, whether he was ready to admit to them or not. He needed to be an adult about this. He couldn't continue to run from things that made him nervous. Not like before.

So, with Toothless by his side he stepped through his home village, taking the familiar route to what was once Hea and Rye's home. Only when the sound of someone running up behind him did he take a moment to pause and glance over his thin shoulder.

"Gustav?" Hiccup asked a smile quick to form on his cheeks. "What's got you and Fanghook out today?"

Catching up within seconds, the much younger boy and his dragon partner arrived at his side, giving a slight set of huffs and puffs before finally speaking. "Hiccup! Well, Fanghook and I heard about all that exploring you've been up to lately and we wanted to know if we could maybe come along?"

Hmm. So, word had gotten around that he and Astrid had been scouting nearby islands, huh? Sure, it was _always_ a good idea to burn off some of the dragon's energy with a few hour-long rides (once at dawn and once during the twilight hours) but exploring wasn't the only thing they were really up to. Discovering new dragon species had its perks for a multitude of reasons but just the hidden agenda for the extra flights during the day were to make sure Dagur's armada was nowhere in sight.

That's all they needed, to have Dagur deliver a sneak attack when they weren't anticipating it. Who knew, by this point, how many men or armies he had at his disposal. Since his last stunt, there wasn't any guessing what he had as far as men went.

But the strange thing? There weren't _any_ ships in any nearby harbors or even in the area. Of course, there were always the trading ships and maybe a few by passers but as far as armadas went, _nothing_.

Whether that was something to be worried about? Of course, but just how worried did he need to be before alerting the troops?

 _I have to keep my eyes open for_ anything _. But scaring the whole tribe isn't something necessary…just yet._

Then again maybe it wouldn't be such a terrible idea to have another set of eyes, or perhaps a whole group of eyes, to accompany Astrid and him on at least one trip. Besides it _had_ been a number of days since the group had gotten together! Bonding time or business trip, it didn't really matter so long as things were taken care of, right?

"I don't see the harm in it." Hiccup then lifted his hand, index finger extended skyward. "Just as long as you _listen_ to me if things happen to get tricky out there."

The young male's face drooped while his right eyebrow lifted. "Why would anything get 'tricky'? What are you guys doing out there? I thought you were just exploring."

"We're also doing a perimeter check, that's all." A little white lie but hey, it was worth not worrying the younger kid over things he couldn't really control. "Because Dagur is on the island we have to be prepared for anything."

"Got it." Gustav gave a rather enthusiastic nod of his head. "But I wouldn't worry too much about Dagur; he's been here what two weeks now and nothing bad has happened?"

Hiccup flinched. "That's not necessarily true…"

"Besides, if he does decide to act up Fanghook and I got him no problem! After all, he's shown himself to be nothing but a big 'ol softie!" The kid proceeded to form a fist with his right hand and slam it into his open left palm.

Wow there was a theory that was sure to get someone hurt. Hiccup felt his brows furrow at the top of his forehead and a deep sigh coming on, "You _never_ want to under estimate your enemy, especially Dagur. Just because he hasn't attacked yet doesn't mean he won't. We have to be prepared for anything, like I said."

 _Although it_ is _odd that he doesn't have his armada waiting just outside the Berk harbor waiting for his safe return…_

"I think you're over reacting." The younger Hooligan pouted something fierce and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'd rather over react than under."

"Uh-huh. Hey look there he is now!"

That was a rather quick change of subject. Hiccup pulled his attention away from the younger boy and looked onward to see Dagur seated in Hea's favorite and beloved outdoor chair. With a terrible look of disgust and irritation stuck to his features, he sat still while Hea, who stood beside him, worked on his wound.

No doubt cleaning out his burn for the first time since the day begun, she hadn't noticed the new company she had while she used a gentle touch to pull off the old bandage from Dagur's skin. But like clockwork, the Berserker caught on to the rider duo and shot a nasty glare in their direction. Funny how he looked like some sort of injured wild animal just waiting until Hea was finished working on him to strike.

"He doesn't look so tough." Gustav said just under his breath.

Ugh, the testosterone was just _seeping_ out of the area at this point. On one side he had a prepubescent Gustav with his young Nightmare ready to fight at the drop of a hat and on the other edge of Hea's home he had Dagur who was (obviously) ready to pounce the moment someone _sneezed_ the wrong way.

" _Gustav_." Hiccup shot his elbow out and allowed it to make soft contact with the younger male's shoulder.

"Hey, Hea!" Without waiting a second to let the words sink in, said boy split away from Hiccup and made a beeline for the girl who continued to clean out the burn on Dagur's arm.

She flinched upon her name leaving his tongue stood up straight almost as if she'd been stung by a bee. With the honey-covered spoon trapped between her fingers, she turned to see _both_ Gustav and Fanghook making their way toward her.

But within just about ten feet of Dagur the Monstrous Nightmare that belonged to the kid halted. Almost as he could sense everything wrong with the Berserker they considered an enemy, Fanghook held his ground strong. His long, sharp claws sunk deep into the dirt and his tail moved back and forth in slow motion. A small, low rumbling growl hit the chilly air and sent shivers up Hiccup's spine. Ugh, it was far too soon to hear that familiar noise again, especially after what happened that caused Dagur to get his burn in the first place.

"Hey there, big guy."

The shivers that crawled up his back faded at the sound of Hea's voice. His eyes were drawn from the Nightmare that continued his careful stance before Dagur and to the young woman who stopped everything she was doing to pay attention to the kid that ran sprinting to her. A smile appeared on her face that he hadn't seen in _days_.

"Hi Hiccup."

Her brown eyes fell on him and the smile that he longed to see (for what felt like centuries) was finally directed his way. His heart slowed. And without having to force it or even think about it, he returned the happy smirk.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing much," The glance and smile ended just a soon as it started and she returned to her business attending to her 'boss'. "I'm just finishing up here."

Cue the moment when Dagur huffed loud enough to make both riders flinch and look his way.

"I'm gonna leave the sling off for now, let your arm relax for a while, okay?" Hea said aloud, no doubt speaking to the man she was working on. "Your burn is looking really good."

"As well as it can be given I shouldn't _have_ it in the first place." He grunted and gave a roll of his green eyes.

Finishing up with her work, Hea put her 'medical' tools aside and promptly dusted off her hands on the fabric of her pants. Afterward, her smile returned to the small Gustav who had only taken his eyes off her to stare at the Berserker chief who appeared more aggravated than usual.

"You guys hungry? I'm sure I have something tasty squirreled away for just such occasions." She said, her heartwarming smirk only spreading when she touched upon the subject of food and cooking.

"Oh yeah!" Pumping his fists in sheer excitement, Gustav took a step closer to Hea. "What kind of goodies do you got?!"

The older woman was sure to send the little guy a wink. "Let me find out." She paused looked down to Dagur, smile still intact and spoke in a tone too gentle for the deranged chief. "Just the regular?"

The eldest male in the area only huffed in response.

"How 'bout you Hiccup?" Oh, how he'd waited to hear his name come from her lips. It'd been too long.

"Sure, I could go for something." He gave a lazy shrug of his shoulders.

She nodded a single time and before she could break away from Dagur's side she paused, "I'll get something for the dragons too and now that I'm thinking about it, might as well get something 'just in case' we have company. I know how you Hooligans travel in packs."

" _Wonderful_." The Berserker chief made no qualms about keeping his opinion to himself when it came to the rest of the group.

Before she could go anywhere, Hea gave Dagur the Deranged two gentle pats to his bulky shoulder she then left sight, refusing to react to her boss' verbal retort in the process. She'd gotten _that_ used to his antics in the last few days, huh? Not bad seeing as who she was staying with. Had the two been civil with one another in their time together or had things been a bit more 'exciting'? Hard to tell since they both seemed to be getting on so well. It was hard to imagine anyone getting along with Dagur but then again…

He two _had_ been sharing a home and a lot of time together. Maybe they figured out a way to cope with one another?

" _Soooo_ , Dagur," Hiccup cleared his throat. "How have things been?"

"How do _you_ think?" He bit back, taking the opportunity to stroke his bandaged arm with his left hand. "I'm stuck on this dump of an island with you clowns."

"I'm assuming things haven't gotten any _worse_." Hiccup felt a small awkward smirk form on his lips. "You two getting along? Not fighting too much?"

"She's as infuriating as usual, not that it's any of _your_ business, _Hiccup_. Not that you've cared for the past few days, seeing as you and the rest have up and abandoned her." A strange smile suddenly appeared on his face, was he poking fun at the fact that everyone had been a bit off put by the abrupt change in events? "She's been moping around the house like she was in mourning."

"What?" The dragon trainer/rider felt his breathing hitch for a moment.

"Although I can't say it's just you and your miserable friends, even Mouse forgot to stop by this morning and light the fireplace. Some support system she has here, no _wonder_ she wanted to leave in the first place."

Hiccup felt his stomach twist and his face tighten. Okay he was just _trying_ to get under his skin, that much was obvious but why did it have to hurt so much? Had he been distant? Sure but… he needed time to think to himself about all that had happened, to think about what was said.

" _I think we'll be okay. Try not to worry."_

But what about Rye? What had happened there? He was almost certain that it was just an accidental sleep in, while Rye did try her hardest and almost always succeeded, she wasn't perfect. After all the oldest female _did_ have to share a home with Snotlout, maybe his insistent talking kept her up the majority of the night. Even if that wasn't the reason, she had the right to sleep in every once and while. It was just an honest mistake.

But again, he was just bringing this up to try to make him angry. It wouldn't work. It was going to take a lot more than a few sour words to make him strike back in anger. After all, he'd put up with a lot more in his short life, he could deal with this.

"That's a first." He allowed his face to relax after taking a moment to think and exhale all the potential bad words he _could_ be saying in reply. "Rye's pretty good about waking herself up. Huh."

"Hey, Hea doesn't _really_ want to leave." Gustav popped off at his side, making him flinch. Shoot for a second, he forgot the kid was still standing there. "It's just because _you're_ making her."

"Oh, kid _please_." Dagur again rolled his eyes, not giving Gustav the time of day to even look at him. "She practically jumped at my offer to come back after the lengthy apology she offered me. If I'm not mistaken, she's head over heels for me." Then his eyes landed squarely on the original dragon tamer. "Isn't it cute, Fishbone?"

Hiccup closed his eyes and inhaled via his nostrils. This wasn't going to get him to fight. If he could put up with years of name-calling and bullying by _everyone_ in the village, this conversation would not get the better of him. He was an expert at avoiding confrontation at this point.

"That's not true!" Gustav added in his opinion once again.

"Ask her yourself, pee-wee."

"Don't _call_ me pee-wee!" The smallest of the three 'gentlemen' barked back, only adding fuel to Fanghook's already smoking fiery and feral growls.

Just as the their 'talk' was just about to become even _more_ interesting the sounds of the others coming their way made the trio of boys' flinch and stop any further outgoing insults. Good, the troop was at last here. At least now he would have teammates like Astrid and Fishlegs to calm the situation down _with_ him rather than fire Dagur up like Gustav just about to.

"Pfft. I knew your little cavalry of peahens weren't too far off." Dagur sighed, no doubt wanting to cross his arms over his wide chest but hesitating due to the healing burn on his arm.

"There you are, we were looking for you everywhere!" Snotlout whined, Rye at his left side and Hookfang at his right.

"Weren't we supposed to set out already?" Astrid stood strong as usual while Stormfly remained beside her. "It's getting late."

"We will," Hiccup gave the group a firm nod of his noggin, smile remaining on his face. "Gustav and I just wanted to stop by and see Hea. You know do a drop in and make sure things are square."

"Everything looks 'square' to me." Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"Hea even offered to feed us," Hiccup added, if there was one thing that he knew his cousin would stop for it would be food. "You really wanna pass that up?"

As if he'd rung the dinner bell himself, the twins shoved both Rye and Snotlout aside and in unison shouted, "No way!"

"What's on the menu?" Fishlegs broke into a smirk, eyes flickering away from the vocal siblings and back to him.

"That's the thing," Gustav opened his arms up wide and with a grin that could almost make anyone smile spoke in a tone that nearly matched the twin's in enthusiasm. "It's a surprise!"

"That could mean almost anything," Rye said, recovering from the push Ruffnut had so graciously given her, "Even something _gross_." She then gave the girl who had just heaved her aside a nudge with her elbow.

"You mean like those overly sweet flapjacks of hers?" Snotlout joked back with his so-called 'partner in crime'. "They hardly need the syrup she coats them in."

"I like the flapjacks!" The youngest and spriest of the team, Gustav, whined, fists clenched in front of his flat chest.

"Gotta say, they kinda make my teeth feel fuzzy." Fishlegs grimaced, probably hating the idea of criticizing _anyone_.

"Yeah, they'll make your choppers rot right outta your face!" Tuffnut laughed a tad too loud given the chef was only one open front door away from their group.

"Alright, alright." Fresh from a short giggle, stepped away from the twins and whilst smiling gave a shake of her head. "That's enough. I'm sure she'll bring us something awesome."

"Without a doubt." Hiccup broke into another smile that hopefully reassured the group to keep their opinions to themselves as soon as Hea reappeared.

But the sudden realization that he and his friends were not alone dawned on him almost like a bee sting. His eyes bounced away from the gaggle of chattering/giggling teens to the person on the island who would be _more_ than willing to rat them out (when it came to their honest opinions of the flapjacks.) to Hea. Greens eyes dipped down to see the larger male with his own eyes shut and large bulky shoulders bobbing up and down. A genuine smile appeared on his lips, almost as he were somehow _agreeing_ with them!

Did…they have something in common as a group? Even though it wasn't something that they could exactly share with Hea but it was a start, wasn't it? If it meant that they could all find _some kind_ of harmony, Hea wouldn't mind too much if they all told her, her pancakes were way too overloaded with sugar, right?

Hiccup felt his lips part and a few choice words nearly formed on his tongue when something even more amazing played out right before his eyes. A cream-colored puff ball strolled out of the small hut of a home that once belonged to both sisters and instantly, without a hitch, hesitation or even command, headed directly toward Dagur.

His muscles itched to move forward and prevent the interaction between both man and dog but instead he paused, frozen in place. Attention solely drawn to the two he continued to stare on, undisturbed by his friends and even though this was happening in front of _everyone_ no one else picked up on what was happening. Was he the only one to worry whether or not Dagur would slap the dog away with the back of his hand? No?

Why was everyone so _comfortable_ with this situation? Right now?

Just as predicted, Dagur's muscular left arm lifted from its place in his lap. He swung his hand toward the pup and just before the back of his palm could make contact with Bug's snout his wrist lifted an inch or so above her ears. With the most gentle of drops, Dagur's hand came down on the dog, his fingers landing in the space between her pointy-triangle ears. And with what looked like a stroke he'd give an animal he actually _cared_ about, his hand stroked downward on her noggin before once again coming forward. Once on the center of her scalp, he proceeded to curl his fingertips, giving the dog a quick scratch.

Since when? Bug _trusted_ Dagur? Even after he shut and _locked_ her out of the house! But to be perfectly logical, it wasn't like the dog _knew_ anything about that kind of stuff but wasn't it just that canines and dragons alike could tell when a person was up to no good?

Turning away from the odd pair that was Dagur and Bug, Hiccup looked to his own partner. Toothless sat at his side, the ear at the right erect while the left laid flat on his head. His eyes were wide and curious while his general energy felt…relaxed.

Relaxed?

 _But how? Unless…_

The future village chief returned his attention the son of Oswald the Agreeable. By this point Dagur had pulled his hand off of Bug's head and placed the back of his palm at her muzzle. Without _any_ kind of hesitation, she gave him a quick whiff before sticking out her pink tongue and licked his hand. With no signs of force, she presented Dagur the Deranged with the kind of affection she had only showed her owner, Hea.

Geez, he'd never seen Bug like that with anyone, besides Hea of course. Even when Tuffnut was in the house, she tended to bark her head off at him as if he were some kind of stranger. This was strange, odd, abnormal…but overall it was very…

 _Normal._

Why did this feel so familiar, almost like deja'vu? Like life was _supposed_ to be just like this?

 _This is amazing! It's like he's a part of our family now._

Why hadn't he seen this before? Felt this before? Even after he saw, _heard_ , Dagur save Hea from that oncoming attack from Hookfang, he was still blind to it? He had more than proved himself then but he had _still_ refused to see the truth. How could he be so blind?

And why of all things did it take seeing him being soft and gentle with Bug to realize it?

Dagur the Deranged _wasn't_ all that bad.

Sure, he had a crappy attitude; entitled to a T but he wasn't _evil_.

"I got cookies," The sound of Hea's voice coming closer made Hiccup's heart jump into his throat. "Oatmeal _and_ cinnamon-sugar!" And just like that, the girl appeared in the doorway, tray in hand.

"Oh!" Gustav, leaving whatever rage he had when Dagur was speaking behind, leapt forward almost as if he were preserving his place in line. "Can I have two?"

A friendly roll of her big brown eyes made the original dragon rider's heart swell. "I can't really say 'no', can I? I mean if I were _you_ I'd want two too. They are the best in Berk."

"In the world!" Gustav shot her a wink that made the older woman laugh right out loud.

Hea gave a quick smirk. "Don't get cute, you're only getting two."

The youngest of the riders snatched up two treats, one of each flavor, before darting away to share them with Fanghook. Although all that sugar couldn't be good for _anyone_ let alone a dragon. But ah well!

"Hiccup?" The blood in his veins ran cold. "Oatmeal or cinnamon-sugar?" His eyes flickered away from the boy who had stolen most of the morning's show and gazed forward to see the best baker on Berk with the tray extended in his direction. "Best choose now before the twins get their hands on all the cinnamon ones."

"Oatmeal is fine, thanks." He laughed just under his breath.

Hea's eyes turned downward and watched his hand as he chose the best-looking oatmeal sweet. She seemed happy today, happier than she'd been in a long time. Maybe it was because everyone was getting along? Then again, he had to admit to himself, when everything _was_ peaceful he couldn't help but be grateful.

Things would be different this time. He knew it. He _believed_ that.

Act End.


End file.
